Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Trading Up 5.3% – Here’s What Happened

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC)’s stock price shot up 5.3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $42.79 and last traded at $42.47. 19,527 shares were traded 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 downgraded 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 Stock Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $40.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market cap of $946.44 million, a P/E ratio of 27.89 and a beta of 1.44.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Charity Isely sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.73, for a total transaction of $87,460.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $537,441.70. This trade represents a 14.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Lark Isely sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.66, for a total value of $178,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 8,682 shares in the company, 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. 59.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NGVC. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 64.7% during the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 449,007 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $13,331,000 after acquiring an additional 176,361 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 28.3% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 304,382 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,453,000 after purchasing an additional 67,187 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 219,301 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,513,000 after acquiring an additional 22,413 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 1.0% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 193,350 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,741,000 after purchasing an additional 1,983 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 31.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 54,115 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,607,000 after buying an additional 12,975 shares during the period. 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.