7,894 Shares in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) Purchased by Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 7,894 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $317,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NGVC. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 516.0% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 209,564 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $8,324,000 after purchasing an additional 175,545 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 1,190.6% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 162,130 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,440,000 after purchasing an additional 149,568 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the 4th quarter worth about $5,444,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 210.3% in the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 80,822 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,210,000 after purchasing an additional 54,773 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 444,596 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $17,659,000 after purchasing an additional 51,727 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Lark Isely sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.26, for a total value of $88,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 6,682 shares in the company, valued at $295,745.32. This represents a 23.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 58.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Price Performance

Shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage stock opened at $39.41 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $43.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.65. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.14 and a 12 month high of $61.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $903.67 million, a P/E ratio of 22.14 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The specialty retailer reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $335.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $329.66 million. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a return on equity of 23.27% and a net margin of 3.18%. As a group, analysts predict that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were given a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.22%. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.97%.

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.