Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Lowers Stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC)

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership cut its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC - Free Report) by 21.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 88,257 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 24,177 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned 0.38% of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage worth $3,506,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 689,291 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,379,000 after purchasing an additional 38,880 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its stake 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 buying an additional 176,361 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 444,596 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $17,659,000 after acquiring an additional 51,727 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 219,301 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $6,513,000 after buying an additional 22,413 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its position in 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 valued at $5,741,000 after purchasing an additional 1,983 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 31.99% of the company's stock.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Stock Up 2.1 %

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage stock traded up $0.94 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $46.20. The stock had a trading volume of 6,316 shares, compared to its average volume of 105,256. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.15. The company has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.30 and a beta of 1.73. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a one year low of $15.82 and a one year high of $50.91. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $42.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.56.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The specialty retailer reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a return on equity of 21.12% and a net margin of 2.84%. On average, analysts expect that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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 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.