Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) Shares Sold by Freedom Investment Management Inc.

Freedom Investment Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC - Free Report) by 43.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,241 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 7,932 shares during the quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage were worth $407,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of NGVC. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,301 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFG Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the 4th quarter worth approximately $224,000. 31.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Stock Up 0.6 %

NGVC stock traded up $0.29 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $48.71. The company had a trading volume of 98,694 shares, compared to its average volume of 109,061. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $40.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.03 and a beta of 1.73. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $16.36 and a fifty-two week high of $50.91.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The specialty retailer reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a net margin of 2.84% and a return on equity of 21.12%. 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of 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 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.