Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Northcoast Research set a $54.00 price target on Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $54.00.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NGVC opened at $39.72 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $38.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $911.69 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.13 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.21. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has a 12 month low of $26.49 and a 12 month high of $61.22.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The specialty retailer reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.01. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a return on equity of 23.47% and a net margin of 3.31%.The business had revenue of $328.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $335.01 million. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.900-1.950 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.53%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Lark Isely sold 2,000 shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $80,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 4,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $187,280. This trade represents a 29.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 58.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 9.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 757,084 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,435,000 after purchasing an additional 67,793 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 24.1% during the first quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 497,268 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $19,990,000 after purchasing an additional 96,678 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 5.9% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 494,542 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $19,411,000 after purchasing an additional 27,732 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the first quarter worth about $14,006,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 20.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 271,380 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $10,653,000 after purchasing an additional 45,343 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.99% of the company’s stock.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Company Profile

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.