SuperValu: S&P Intraday Gainer

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- SuperValu(SVU) was the best-performing stock in the S&P 500 Tuesday morning.

The index was down 4.82 points, or 0.35%, to 1,377.38.

Shares of SuperValu rose 8.27% to $5.76. The food retailer reported Tuesday a fourth-quarter loss of $424 million, or $2 a share, compared with a year-earlier profit of $95 million, or 44 cents a share. Excluding one-time items, earnings in the quarter were 38 cents a share, topping analysts' forecasts of 35 cents.

The company guided to fiscal 2013 earnings of between $1.27 and $1.42 a share, above analysts' estimates of $1.19.

"We are committed to fair price plus promotions and will intensify our efforts as we enter the second year of our business transformation," said SuperValu CEO Craig Herkert, in a statement. "As we move into fiscal 2013, we see another year of improving identical store sales and will continue to take appropriate steps to deliver greater value to our customers."

SuperValu's stock hit a 52-week low on April 9 of $5.07. The stock's 52-week high of $11.77 was set on May 2.

SuperValu has an estimated price-to-earnings ratio for next year of 4.76 times; the average for food retailers and wholesalers is 14.61. For comparison, both Sysco(SYY) and Whole Foods Market(WFM) have higher forward P/Es of 14.05 and 31.13, respectively.

Eleven of the 17 analysts who cover SuperValu rated it hold. Four analysts gave the stock a sell rating and two rated it buy.