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

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)’s stock price dropped 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 mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 469,962 shares. The stock had previously closed at $28.59.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNFI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. BMO Capital Markets increased 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. UBS Group lifted their price objective 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. Northcoast Research raised shares of United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Natural Foods currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.60.

United Natural Foods Stock Up 0.7 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a price-to-earnings 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $24.71 and its 200 day moving average is $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 business had revenue of $7.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.04) earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Natural Foods

In related news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 9,050 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the insider now owns 88,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,949,617.80. This trade represents a 9.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,383,733 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,094,000 after buying an additional 34,522 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 1.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,358,340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,852,000 after acquiring an additional 14,928 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in United Natural Foods by 23.1% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,267,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,601,000 after purchasing an additional 237,496 shares in the last quarter. Hauser Brothers GmbH grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hauser Brothers GmbH now owns 912,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,340,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 86.6% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 264,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,461,000 after purchasing an additional 122,626 shares in the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is 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.