United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Hits New 52-Week Low at $9.32

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report)'s stock price 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 changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $9.67.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on UNFI shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $12.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a "neutral" rating and set a $13.00 price objective (down previously from $15.00) on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $13.40.

United Natural Foods Stock Down 3.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $557.55 million, a P/E ratio of -4.74 and a beta of 0.56. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $13.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.53.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last released 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. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.38% and a positive return on equity of 1.20%. The business had revenue of $7.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.87 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.78 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at United Natural Foods

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

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNFI. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in United Natural Foods by 2,136.5% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 657,320 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,668,000 after acquiring an additional 627,930 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in United Natural Foods by 211.9% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 916,382 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,915,000 after acquiring an additional 622,560 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in United Natural Foods by 8.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,135,789 shares of the company's stock valued at $295,064,000 after acquiring an additional 567,961 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in United Natural Foods during the second quarter valued at $21,416,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter valued at $19,828,000. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.