Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Cut to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday morning.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage stock opened at $39.58 on Friday. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has a 52-week low of $24.24 and a 52-week high of $61.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.36. The firm has a market cap of $908.25 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.05 and a beta of 1.44.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The specialty retailer reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.01. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a net margin of 3.31% and a return on equity of 23.47%. The business had revenue of $328.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $335.01 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s payout ratio is currently 25.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Lark Isely sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.26, for a total transaction of $88,520.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 6,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $295,745.32. The trade was a 23.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 58.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 9,741.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,708 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 5,650 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 30.9% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 56,193 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,232,000 after purchasing an additional 13,255 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the first quarter valued at about $14,006,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the first quarter valued at about $317,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the fourth quarter valued at about $680,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 31.99% of the company’s stock.

About Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, retails natural and organic groceries, and dietary supplements in the United States. The company’s stores offer natural and organic grocery products, such as organic produce; private label repackaged bulk products, including dried fruits, nuts, grains, granolas, teas, herbs, and spices, as well as peanut and almond butters; private label products comprising grocery staples, household products, bulk foods, and vitamins and dietary supplements, as well as organic eggs, organic flavored coffee, and organic mustard; dry, frozen, and canned groceries; meat and seafood products; dairy products, dairy substitutes, and eggs; prepared foods; bread and baked products; beverages; and beer, wine, and hard cider products.