Village Super Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:VLGEA) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Key Points

• Village Super Market experienced a marked rise in short interest, increasing by 65.2% in September, with a total of 154,800 shares sold short as of September 30th.
• Institutional investors have shown significant activity, with several firms including Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. and CWM LLC increasing their stakes in the company by over 40% during the second quarter.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, translating to an annualized yield of 3.1%, with a dividend payout ratio of 26.32%.

Village Super Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:VLGEA - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 154,800 shares, an increase of 65.2% from the September 15th total of 93,700 shares. Approximately 1.5% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 49,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days. Based on an average daily volume of 49,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days. Approximately 1.5% of the company's stock are sold short.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. New York State Teachers Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Village Super Market during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Village Super Market by 45.9% during the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 934 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Village Super Market by 41.5% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,586 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Village Super Market by 8,860.7% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,509 shares of the company's stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 2,481 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Village Super Market by 41.8% during the second quarter. Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC now owns 3,713 shares of the company's stock valued at $143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095 shares in the last quarter. 39.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Village Super Market Trading Down 1.9%

NASDAQ VLGEA opened at $32.49 on Wednesday. Village Super Market has a 12 month low of $28.33 and a 12 month high of $40.15. The stock has a market cap of $479.36 million, a P/E ratio of 8.55 and a beta of 0.53. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $36.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Village Super Market (NASDAQ:VLGEA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 7th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter. Village Super Market had a return on equity of 11.97% and a net margin of 2.43%.The firm had revenue of $599.67 million for the quarter.

Village Super Market Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 2nd. Village Super Market's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VLGEA shares. Weiss Ratings cut Village Super Market from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Village Super Market from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

About Village Super Market

Village Super Market, Inc operates a chain of supermarkets in the United States. The company offers grocery, meat, produce, dairy, deli, seafood, prepared foods, and bakery and frozen foods. It also provides non-food products, including health and beauty care, general merchandise, liquor, and pharmacy products through retail and online stores.

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