Ellsworth Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. $NGVC

Key Points

• Ellsworth Advisors LLC has made a new investment in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, buying 21,277 shares valued at approximately $855,000, representing a 0.09% ownership in the company.
• Multiple institutional investors have increased their stakes in Natural Grocers, with McIlrath & Eck LLC and CWM LLC increasing their holdings by 86.2% and 167.8% respectively in the first quarter.
• Natural Grocers recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.12 per share, along with a strong earnings report, showing a net margin of 3.31% despite lower-than-expected revenue.

Ellsworth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 21,277 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $855,000. Ellsworth Advisors LLC owned 0.09% of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 86.2% during the 1st quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 661 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 167.8% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,291 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 809 shares during the period. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the 1st quarter worth approximately $57,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 113.4% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,436 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 763 shares during the period. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the 1st quarter worth approximately $72,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 31.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Stock Performance

NGVC stock opened at $36.28 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $832.69 million, a PE ratio of 19.30 and a beta of 1.61. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a 12-month low of $24.99 and a 12-month high of $61.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $39.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.40.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The specialty retailer reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $328.71 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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, research analysts forecast that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

In other news, insider Lark Isely sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $80,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at $187,280. This represents a 29.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 58.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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