Driehaus Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. $NGVC

Key Points

• Driehaus Capital Management LLC invested approximately $6.53 million in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, acquiring 162,388 shares of the specialty retailer's stock.
• Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage recently reported earnings per share (EPS) of $0.50, exceeding analysts' estimates of $0.49, although revenue fell short of expectations at $328.71 million.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.12 per share, with a dividend yield of 1.3%, payable on September 17th to shareholders of record as of September 2nd.

Driehaus Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 162,388 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $6,528,000. Driehaus Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.71% of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NGVC. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 28.7% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 5,690 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $226,000 after purchasing an additional 1,269 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 14,224 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 1,804 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL boosted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 210.3% during the fourth quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 80,822 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,210,000 after purchasing an additional 54,773 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 101,557 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,034,000 after purchasing an additional 11,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 33.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 10,570 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $420,000 after purchasing an additional 2,625 shares in the last quarter. 31.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 16th.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Trading Up 1.1%

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage stock traded up $0.44 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $38.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 280,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 204,515. The stock has a market capitalization of $894.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.72 and a beta of 1.61. The stock's fifty day moving average is $39.09 and its 200 day moving average is $42.76. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a 1-year low of $24.99 and a 1-year high of $61.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The specialty retailer reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $328.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $335.01 million. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a return on equity of 23.47% and a net margin of 3.31%. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.900-1.950 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Lark Isely sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $80,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $187,280. This represents a 29.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock valued at $189,020 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 58.80% of the company's stock.

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.