United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Reaches New 12-Month Low at $9.32

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $9.32 and last traded at $9.40, with a volume of 106600 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $9.67.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Roth Mkm reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $13.00 target price (down from $15.00) on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.40.

United Natural Foods Stock Down 1.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.53. The company’s 50 day moving average is $12.98 and its 200 day moving average is $14.46.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $7.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.87 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.38% and a positive return on equity of 1.20%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.78 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at United Natural Foods

In other United Natural Foods news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,375 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.35, for a total transaction of $49,656.25. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,865 shares in the company, valued at approximately $373,017.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNFI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 40.9% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 357,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,776,000 after acquiring an additional 103,800 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 12.8% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 19,689 shares of the company’s stock worth $814,000 after purchasing an additional 2,239 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 58.2% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 30,238 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,250,000 after purchasing an additional 11,130 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 157,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,492,000 after purchasing an additional 4,192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 17.6% during the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 50,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,071,000 after purchasing an additional 7,486 shares in the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.