United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Trading Down 3.6% – Here’s Why

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) shares fell 3.6% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $27.50 and last traded at $27.55. 80,596 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 469,962 shares. The stock had previously closed at $28.59.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on UNFI shares. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on United Natural Foods from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Northcoast Research upgraded United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.60.

United Natural Foods Trading Up 0.7 %

The stock has a market cap of $1.73 billion, a PE ratio of -18.38 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.48. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $24.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.84.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.18. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.30% and a positive return on equity of 1.27%. The company had revenue of $7.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.04) earnings per share. United Natural Foods’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.72 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 9,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.10, for a total transaction of $200,005.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 88,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,949,617.80. The trade was a 9.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 66.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 931 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in United Natural Foods by 46.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 639 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC increased its position in United Natural Foods by 85.7% during the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 3,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 12.2% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 716 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $94,000. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About United Natural Foods

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.