Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage's stock rating was downgraded from "buy" to "hold" by analysts at Wall Street Zen, indicating a shift in market confidence.
• The company's stock price fell 1.2% following the downgrade, with a current market cap of $890.21 million.
• In recent trading activity, insiders sold 4,500 shares of the company stock, indicating potential concerns about future performance among company leadership.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Friday.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Stock Down 1.2%

NGVC stock opened at $38.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.21. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has a 1-year low of $24.99 and a 1-year high of $61.22. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $39.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $42.60. The firm has a market cap of $890.21 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.63 and a beta of 1.61.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The specialty retailer reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.01. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a net margin of 3.31% and a return on equity of 23.47%. The firm had revenue of $328.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $335.01 million. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.900-1.950 EPS. Research analysts predict that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Lark Isely sold 2,000 shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $80,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at $187,280. This trade represents a 29.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,500 shares of company stock valued at $189,020. 58.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 9,741.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,708 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 5,650 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 30.9% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 56,193 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,232,000 after acquiring an additional 13,255 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the first quarter valued at approximately $14,006,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the first quarter valued at approximately $317,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $680,000. 31.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

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.

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