Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) Stock Holdings Cut by Lord Abbett & CO. LLC

Lord Abbett & CO. LLC decreased its position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC - Free Report) by 10.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 400,590 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 48,417 shares during the quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC owned 1.75% of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage worth $15,911,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 516.0% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 209,564 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $8,324,000 after purchasing an additional 175,545 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the fourth quarter worth $5,444,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 444,596 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $17,659,000 after acquiring an additional 51,727 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 689,291 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $27,379,000 after purchasing an additional 38,880 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 592,709 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $23,542,000 after purchasing an additional 30,691 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.99% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com lowered 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 Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NGVC traded up $0.64 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $50.28. The company had a trading volume of 187,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 110,090. The stock has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.03 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.29. 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 EPS for the quarter. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a return on equity of 21.12% and a net margin of 2.84%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.57%.

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.