Wellington Management Group LLP Makes New $5.44 Million Investment in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC)

Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 137,064 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $5,444,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NGVC. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the fourth quarter worth $328,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 689,291 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,379,000 after acquiring an additional 38,880 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 444,596 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $17,659,000 after purchasing an additional 51,727 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 25.8% in the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 33,708 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,339,000 after purchasing an additional 6,906 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 27,363 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,087,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Price Performance

NYSE:NGVC opened at $47.03 on Friday. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a 52 week low of $15.82 and a 52 week high of $50.91. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $42.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.36. The company has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.95 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The specialty retailer reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a net margin of 2.84% and a return on equity of 21.12%. Equities analysts expect that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s payout ratio is 30.57%.

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.