Swiss National Bank Takes Position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. $NGVC

Key Points

• The Swiss National Bank acquired a new stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC), purchasing 17,800 shares valued at approximately $716,000.
• Several institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and Millennium Management LLC, have also significantly increased their holdings in the company, indicating growing confidence in its potential.
• Natural Grocers recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.12 per share, with a dividend yield of 1.2% and a payout ratio of 25.53%.

Swiss National Bank acquired a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 17,800 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $716,000. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.08% of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 9.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 757,084 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $30,435,000 after acquiring an additional 67,793 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the first quarter worth $14,006,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 1,190.6% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 162,130 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $6,440,000 after acquiring an additional 149,568 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the fourth quarter worth $5,444,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 101,557 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,034,000 after acquiring an additional 11,225 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.99% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity

In other Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage news, insider Lark Isely sold 2,000 shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $187,280. This trade represents a 29.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock worth $189,020 over the last three months. 58.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Stock Performance

NGVC stock traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $38.35. The stock had a trading volume of 184,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 274,975. The firm has a market capitalization of $880.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.40 and a beta of 1.44. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a 52 week low of $24.99 and a 52 week high of $61.22. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $39.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

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

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Dividend Announcement

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

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.