United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Shares Down 3.4% Following Insider Selling

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) shares were down 3.4% on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $10.55 and last traded at $10.59. Approximately 135,288 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 666,317 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.96.

Specifically, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,375 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,865 shares in the company, valued at $373,017.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on UNFI shares. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $13.00 target price (down from $15.00) on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $13.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 7th. UBS Group lifted their target price on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 7th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $12.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $13.40.

United Natural Foods Stock Down 3.1 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $14.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The firm has a market cap of $630.96 million, a PE ratio of -5.34 and a beta of 0.55.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 6th. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.09. The business had revenue of $7.78 billion during 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 business's quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.78 EPS. Research analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNFI. Quarry LP lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 976.1% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 990 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 898 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 66.3% in the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,531 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 1,408 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 116.2% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 3,113 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 1,673 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.63% of the company's stock.

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.