SpartanNash (NASDAQ:SPTN) Sees Large Volume Increase - Should You Buy?

Shares of SpartanNash Company (NASDAQ:SPTN - Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 951,105 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 167% from the previous session's volume of 356,474 shares.The stock last traded at $26.60 and had previously closed at $26.54.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of SpartanNash from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $26.90 target price (up previously from $20.00) on shares of SpartanNash in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th.

SpartanNash Trading Up 0.2%

The company has a 50 day moving average of $20.50 and a 200 day moving average of $19.68. The firm has a market cap of $899.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -83.06 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

SpartanNash (NASDAQ:SPTN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.08). SpartanNash had a negative net margin of 0.11% and a positive return on equity of 8.26%. The firm had revenue of $2.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.53 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that SpartanNash Company will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

SpartanNash Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.31%. SpartanNash's dividend payout ratio is -275.00%.

Institutional Trading of SpartanNash

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in SpartanNash during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of SpartanNash by 167.4% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,966 shares of the company's stock worth $109,000 after acquiring an additional 3,735 shares during the last quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main acquired a new position in shares of SpartanNash during the fourth quarter worth approximately $113,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in shares of SpartanNash during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $132,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of SpartanNash during the first quarter valued at approximately $153,000. 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.