Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Stock Price Up 5.3% – Still a Buy?

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) traded up 5.3% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $42.79 and last traded at $42.47. 19,527 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 87,551 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.33.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Price Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $40.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $949.81 million, a P/E ratio of 27.99 and a beta of 1.44.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The specialty retailer reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a net margin of 2.73% and a return on equity of 20.70%. On average, analysts expect that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.56 EPS for the current year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.16%. This is a boost from Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.43%.

Insider Transactions at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

In other news, insider Charity Isely sold 2,000 shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.73, for a total transaction of $87,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $537,441.70. The trade was a 14.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Lark Isely sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.66, for a total transaction of $178,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $387,738.12. This trade represents a 31.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 59.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. PFG Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 53,904 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,141,000 after purchasing an additional 7,384 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 75.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 49,410 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,467,000 after purchasing an additional 21,257 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 64.7% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 449,007 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $13,331,000 after purchasing an additional 176,361 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 285.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 12,420 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $368,000 after buying an additional 9,196 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.