United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Trading Down 6.8% – What’s Next?

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) were down 6.8% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $29.66 and last traded at $29.62. Approximately 282,940 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 50% from the average daily volume of 571,538 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on United Natural Foods from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $26.40.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The company has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.51 and a beta of 0.62. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $29.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.35.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.18. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 1.27% and a negative net margin of 0.30%. The firm had revenue of $7.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.61 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.04) earnings per share. United Natural Foods’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Creative Planning grew its holdings in United Natural Foods by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 953 shares in the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 46.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 15,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 5.4% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 194,772 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,276,000 after purchasing an additional 9,916 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in United Natural Foods in the third quarter valued at $157,000. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods in the third quarter valued at $182,000. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Company Profile

United Natural Foods, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes natural, organic, specialty, produce, and conventional grocery and non-food products in the United States and Canada. It operates in two segments, Wholesale and Retail. The company offers grocery and general merchandise, produce, perishables and frozen foods, wellness and personal care items, and bulk and foodservice products.