Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. $GO Shares Bought by UBS Group AG

Key Points

• UBS Group AG significantly increased its stake in Grocery Outlet, boosting holdings by 87.6% in the fourth quarter to 2.73 million shares worth about $27.5 million.
• Insider buying was notable, with CEO Jason J. N. Potter and Director Carey F. Jaros making large purchases; insiders bought 899,905 shares in the last quarter versus 89,493 shares sold.
• Analysts remain cautious on the stock, with 11 Hold ratings and 2 Sell ratings, and the average price target sits at $10.68 after several firms cut their targets.

UBS Group AG grew its holdings in shares of Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:GO - Free Report) by 87.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,726,299 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,272,859 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned 2.78% of Grocery Outlet worth $27,536,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Grocery Outlet in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,696,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Grocery Outlet by 562.1% in the 3rd quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 284,979 shares of the company's stock worth $4,574,000 after acquiring an additional 241,936 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Grocery Outlet in the 3rd quarter worth about $4,448,000. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Grocery Outlet by 16.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 3,757,022 shares of the company's stock worth $60,300,000 after acquiring an additional 543,535 shares during the period. Finally, Dana Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Grocery Outlet in the 3rd quarter worth about $5,925,000. 99.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Grocery Outlet

In other Grocery Outlet news, CEO Jason J. N. Potter acquired 286,097 shares of Grocery Outlet stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was bought at an average price of $5.90 per share, for a total transaction of $1,687,972.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 574,366 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,388,759.40. This trade represents a 99.25% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Carey F. Jaros acquired 40,000 shares of Grocery Outlet stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $6.26 per share, with a total value of $250,400.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 76,066 shares in the company, valued at approximately $476,173.16. This represents a 110.91% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 899,905 shares of company stock worth $5,396,307 and have sold 89,493 shares worth $524,431. Corporate insiders own 4.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Grocery Outlet from $11.00 to $7.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 5th. DA Davidson set a $8.00 price objective on shares of Grocery Outlet in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Grocery Outlet from $10.50 to $7.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $7.00 price objective (down from $18.00) on shares of Grocery Outlet in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Grocery Outlet from $12.00 to $9.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $10.68.

Grocery Outlet Stock Performance

Shares of GO opened at $8.19 on Friday. Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. has a 52-week low of $5.66 and a 52-week high of $19.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $7.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $810.15 million, a PE ratio of -3.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.66.

Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.02). Grocery Outlet had a negative net margin of 4.80% and a positive return on equity of 5.93%. The business had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.15 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. Grocery Outlet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.450-0.550 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. will post 0.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Grocery Outlet

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. NASDAQ: GO is a specialty discount retailer that offers consumers deeply discounted groceries by purchasing excess inventory, closeouts, and overstocks from manufacturers and distributors. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, the company operates two primary banners—Grocery Outlet and Fresh2Go—with a combined footprint of more than 400 stores. Its product assortment spans fresh produce, meat, dairy, bakery items, household staples, natural and organic offerings, and select specialty products, all sold at significant markdowns compared to conventional supermarkets.

The company's unique buying model enables it to source inventory through opportunistic purchases of surplus freight, discontinued items, and closeout deals, which it then passes on as savings to its customers.

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