Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO) Director Erik Ragatz Buys 125,000 Shares

Key Points

• Director Erik Ragatz bought 125,000 shares at $6.00 on March 11 (~$750,000), raising his stake to 326,500 shares — a 62.03% increase in ownership.
• Shares are down about 1.9% amid a Q4 EPS miss ($0.19 vs. $0.21) and slightly below‑forecast revenue; management set FY2026 guidance of $0.45–$0.55 and several analysts have cut targets, leaving a consensus rating of "Reduce."
• The company faces notable risks — multiple securities‑law investigations, sizable insider sales by the CEO and other executives, and announced store closures — which increase litigation and operational uncertainty despite high institutional ownership.

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:GO - Get Free Report) Director Erik Ragatz bought 125,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $6.00 per share, for a total transaction of $750,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 326,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,959,000. This trade represents a 62.03% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Grocery Outlet Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of GO traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $6.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,912,957 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,312,991. The company has a market cap of $596.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a fifty day moving average of $9.41 and a 200 day moving average of $12.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. has a 1 year low of $5.66 and a 1 year high of $19.41.

Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.23 billion. Grocery Outlet had a negative net margin of 4.80% and a positive return on equity of 5.93%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.15 EPS. Grocery Outlet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.450-0.550 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in Grocery Outlet by 5.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 122,565 shares of the company's stock worth $1,713,000 after purchasing an additional 6,736 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Grocery Outlet by 14.1% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 357,856 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,003,000 after purchasing an additional 44,214 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in shares of Grocery Outlet by 5.1% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 16,525 shares of the company's stock worth $205,000 after buying an additional 803 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Grocery Outlet by 7.4% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 642,806 shares of the company's stock worth $7,984,000 after buying an additional 44,427 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of Grocery Outlet during the 2nd quarter worth $185,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.87% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Grocery Outlet

Here are the key news stories impacting Grocery Outlet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director buying — Director Carey Jaros purchased 40,000 shares (~$6.26 avg.), and another director (Jeffrey York) disclosed a larger purchase (120,000 shares), signaling insider confidence and providing a short‑term lift to the stock. Jaros Form 4
• Neutral Sentiment: High institutional ownership — Institutions hold the vast majority of GO shares, which supports liquidity but can magnify moves when funds rebalance; this is background risk rather than an immediate catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple securities‑law investigations announced — Several plaintiff firms (Pomerantz, Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter, The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz) have opened probes into potential securities violations tied to recent disclosures, increasing litigation risk and investor uncertainty. Pomerantz Investigation Glancy Announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling by management — CEO Jason Potter sold ~67,397 shares (~$5.84 avg.) and several EVPs also sold stock the same week; large insider sales often weigh on market sentiment. CEO Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Store closures announced — Company said it will close four Northeast Ohio stores citing “millions in losses,” a concrete operational setback that highlights regional execution or margin pressure. Store Closures
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and cautious guidance — Multiple firms trimmed ratings/targets after the Q4 report and management set FY2026 EPS guidance ($0.45–$0.55) below some estimates, limiting near‑term upside. Analyst Scrutiny

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on GO shares. 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 research note on Thursday, February 19th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered shares of Grocery Outlet from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $15.00 to $9.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $7.00 price target (down from $18.00) on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Grocery Outlet from $11.00 to $7.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $11.50 price objective on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $10.68.

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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