United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Stock Price Down 4.1% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• United Natural Foods (UNFI) shares fell by 4.1% to $25.90 on Monday, significantly decreasing the trading volume to 277,979 shares, a drop of 69% from its average daily volume.
• Analysts have varied opinions on UNFI, with Wells Fargo upgrading the stock to an "equal weight" and raising the target price to $26.00, while The Goldman Sachs Group has set a lower target price of $26.00 and rated it as "neutral."
• United Natural Foods reported earnings of $0.44 per share for the quarter, exceeding expectations of $0.22, with a revenue increase of 7.5% year-over-year to $8.06 billion.

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded down 4.1% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $26.13 and last traded at $25.90. 277,979 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 884,068 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.01.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNFI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $24.00 target price on shares of United Natural Foods and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded United Natural Foods from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $25.00 to $26.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on United Natural Foods from $32.00 to $25.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on United Natural Foods from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.13.

United Natural Foods Stock Up 0.4%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.62 billion, a PE ratio of -23.20 and a beta of 0.82.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 10th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.22. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 3.13% and a negative net margin of 0.21%. The firm had revenue of $8.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.78 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.10 EPS. The company's revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its holdings in United Natural Foods by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 13,423 shares of the company's stock worth $313,000 after acquiring an additional 1,030 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 2.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,424,195 shares of the company's stock worth $33,203,000 after acquiring an additional 27,943 shares during the period. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 23.7% during the second quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC now owns 100,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,331,000 after buying an additional 19,169 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in United Natural Foods by 143.6% in the second quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 236,663 shares of the company's stock worth $5,517,000 after purchasing an additional 139,528 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the second quarter valued at approximately $364,000. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company's stock.

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.