Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) Shares Bought by Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) by 15.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 53,904 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,384 shares during the quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage were worth $2,141,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 3.2% during the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 36,781 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,092,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 193,350 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $5,741,000 after acquiring an additional 1,983 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P raised its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 24.3% during the 3rd quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 13,312 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $395,000 after acquiring an additional 2,600 shares during the period. Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the 3rd quarter valued at about $126,000. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the third quarter valued at about $202,000. 31.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

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

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Stock Down 0.3 %

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage stock opened at $41.42 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $949.83 million, a PE ratio of 27.99 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.90. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.31 and a fifty-two week high of $47.56. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $41.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.72.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last posted 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 return on equity of 20.70% and a net margin of 2.73%. Research analysts expect that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.12 dividend. This is a positive change from Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.16%. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered 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 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.