United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Trading Down 3.6% – Should You Sell?

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)’s stock price was down 3.6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $27.50 and last traded at $27.55. Approximately 80,596 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 469,962 shares. The stock had previously closed at $28.59.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNFI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Roth Mkm increased 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. UBS Group lifted their target price on United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One research 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.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.60.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $24.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.63. The company has a market capitalization of $1.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.76 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $7.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.04) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at United Natural Foods

In other news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 9,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 88,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,949,617.80. This represents a 9.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 66.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 931 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in United Natural Foods by 46.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 639 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 85.7% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in United Natural Foods by 12.2% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,584 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 716 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 2nd quarter valued at $94,000. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

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.