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

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)’s share price hit 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 Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on UNFI. StockNews.com cut United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 target price (down from $15.00) on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Natural Foods currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.40.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $12.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Natural Foods news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,375 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.35, for a total value of $49,656.25. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,865 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $373,017.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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