Performance Food Group (NYSE:PFGC) & Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Head-To-Head Comparison

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) and Performance Food Group (NYSE:PFGC) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends and risk.

Volatility & Risk

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has a beta of 1.43, indicating that its stock price is 43% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Performance Food Group has a beta of 1.15, indicating that its stock price is 15% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

32.0% of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 96.9% of Performance Food Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 58.8% of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.8% of Performance Food Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage and Performance Food Group”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage	$1.24 billion	0.74	$33.94 million	$1.78	22.57
Performance Food Group	$58.28 billion	0.27	$435.90 million	$2.40	41.55

Performance Food Group has higher revenue and earnings than Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Performance Food Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage and Performance Food Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage	3.18%	23.27%	6.28%
Performance Food Group	0.61%	16.17%	4.41%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage and Performance Food Group, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage	0	0	0	0	0.00
Performance Food Group	0	4	9	1	2.79

Performance Food Group has a consensus target price of $100.31, indicating a potential upside of 0.58%. Given Performance Food Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Performance Food Group is more favorable than Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage.

Summary

Performance Food Group beats Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

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. Its stores also provide name-brand supplements, as well as private label dietary supplements; body care products consisting of cosmetics, skin care, hair care, fragrance, and personal care products containing natural and organic ingredients; pet care and food products; books and handouts; household and general merchandise, including cleaning supplies, paper products, and dish and laundry soaps, as well as other common household products, such as diapers; and books and handouts. The company operates its retail stores under the Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage trademark, as well as Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocers and Health Hotline trademarks. The company also offers science-based nutrition education programs to help customers make informed health and nutrition choices. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado.

About Performance Food Group

Performance Food Group Company, through its subsidiaries, markets and distributes food and food-related products in the United States. It operates through three segments: Foodservice, Vistar, and Convenience. The company offers a range of frozen foods, groceries, candy, snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and other tobacco products; beef, pork, poultry, and seafood; and health and beauty care products. It also sells disposables, cleaning and kitchen supplies, and related products. In addition, the company offers value-added services, such as product selection and procurement, menu development, and operational strategy. It serves independent and chain restaurants, schools, business and industry locations, hospitals, vending distributors, office coffee service distributors, retailers, convenience stores, theaters, hospitality providers, concessionaires, airport gift shops, college bookstores, corrections facilities, and impulse locations, as well as franchises and other institutional customers. Performance Food Group Company was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.