Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Shares Up 4% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage shares rose 4% to $39.97, despite a notable decline in trading volume, with only 50,682 shares changing hands.
• Wall Street analysts have downgraded the stock from a "buy" to a "hold" rating, indicating a cautious outlook for the company.
• The company reported a net margin of 3.31% with earnings per share of $0.50, just surpassing analyst expectations of $0.49.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC - Get Free Report) shares shot up 4% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $40.06 and last traded at $39.97. 50,682 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 209,940 shares. The stock had previously closed at $38.45.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Stock Up 3.7%

The business's fifty day moving average price is $38.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $914.70 million, a PE ratio of 21.15 and a beta of 1.61.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The specialty retailer reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $328.71 million for 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. On average, equities research 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were given a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.53%.

Insider Activity at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

In other news, insider Lark Isely sold 2,000 shares of the 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 sale, the insider directly owned 4,682 shares in the company, valued at $187,280. This represents a 29.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 58.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 86.2% during the first quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 661 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 306 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 136.5% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,114 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 643 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 48.9% during the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,303 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 428 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 167.8% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,291 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 809 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the first quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 31.99% of the company's stock.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.