SpartanNash (NASDAQ:SPTN) Short Interest Update

SpartanNash (NASDAQ:SPTN - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,330,000 shares, a growth of 17.7% from the April 30th total of 1,130,000 shares. Approximately 4.0% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 276,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.8 days.

SpartanNash Price Performance

NASDAQ SPTN traded up $0.03 on Friday, hitting $18.44. The stock had a trading volume of 423,928 shares, compared to its average volume of 271,629. SpartanNash has a 52-week low of $17.30 and a 52-week high of $23.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company has a market capitalization of $624.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,844.00 and a beta of 0.34. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $19.49 and a 200-day moving average of $19.24.

SpartanNash (NASDAQ:SPTN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $2.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.53 EPS. SpartanNash's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that SpartanNash will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

SpartanNash Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. SpartanNash's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -275.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of SpartanNash from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Northcoast Research downgraded shares of SpartanNash from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $10.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th.

Institutional Trading of SpartanNash

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in shares of SpartanNash by 130.0% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 57,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,173,000 after buying an additional 32,727 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of SpartanNash by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 182,033 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,688,000 after buying an additional 3,686 shares in the last quarter. Dean Capital Management raised its position in shares of SpartanNash by 203.6% during the 1st quarter. Dean Capital Management now owns 85,777 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,738,000 after buying an additional 57,523 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of SpartanNash during the 1st quarter valued at $502,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of SpartanNash by 837.8% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 515,436 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,443,000 after buying an additional 460,474 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.59% of the company's stock.

SpartanNash Company Profile

SpartanNash Company distributes and retails grocery products in the United States of America. It operates through Wholesale and Retail segments. The Wholesale segment offers grocery products and perishable food products, including dry groceries, produce, dairy products, meat, delicatessen items, bakery goods, frozen food, seafood, floral products, general merchandise, beverages, tobacco products, health and beauty care, and pharmaceutical products to independent retailers, national accounts, food service distributors, e-commerce providers, and corporate owned retail stores.