Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $50.20, but opened at $47.97. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage shares last traded at $45.68, with a volume of 165,445 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Trading Down 5.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The company has a market cap of $1.09 billion, a PE ratio of 32.11 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $41.83 and its 200 day moving average is $33.05.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The specialty retailer reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a net margin of 2.73% and a return on equity of 20.70%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s payout ratio is presently 32.43%.

Insider Transactions at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

In other news, insider Charity Isely sold 2,000 shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.73, for a total transaction of $87,460.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,290 shares in the company, valued at $537,441.70. This trade represents a 14.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Lark Isely sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.66, for a total transaction of $178,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $387,738.12. This trade represents a 31.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 58.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NGVC. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 3.2% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 36,781 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,092,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares in the last quarter. Privium Fund Management B.V. bought a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the third quarter worth about $326,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the third quarter worth about $361,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 36.8% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 26,802 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $796,000 after purchasing an additional 7,210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the third quarter worth about $421,000. 31.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.