United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Shares Down 7.1% – Here’s What Happened

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) dropped 7.1% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $26.12 and last traded at $25.49. Approximately 40,543 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 94% from the average daily volume of 660,588 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.42.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNFI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. 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. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $27.50.

United Natural Foods Trading Up 0.5 %

The business’s fifty day moving average is $29.58 and its 200-day moving average is $24.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a PE ratio of -17.03 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.04. 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 $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.07 earnings per share. United Natural Foods’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNFI. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in United Natural Foods by 207.0% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,357,212 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,065,000 after buying an additional 915,177 shares during the period. Senvest Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter worth approximately $18,161,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in United Natural Foods by 28.1% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,018,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,118,000 after buying an additional 442,574 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in United Natural Foods by 162.7% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 587,697 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,050,000 after buying an additional 363,962 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in United Natural Foods by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,531,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,450,000 after buying an additional 314,587 shares during the period. 87.63% of the stock is currently 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.