Swiss National Bank Purchases New Position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. $NGVC

Swiss National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 17,800 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $716,000. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.08% of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the first quarter valued at approximately $14,006,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 1,190.6% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 162,130 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,440,000 after purchasing an additional 149,568 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,444,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 9.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 757,084 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,435,000 after purchasing an additional 67,793 shares during the period. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 210.3% during the fourth quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 80,822 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,210,000 after purchasing an additional 54,773 shares during the period. 31.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Lark Isely sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $80,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 4,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $187,280. This trade represents a 29.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 58.80% of the company’s stock.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Price Performance

Shares of NGVC stock opened at $41.04 on Wednesday. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a 52-week low of $24.87 and a 52-week high of $61.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $941.82 million, a P/E ratio of 21.83 and a beta of 1.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $39.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.09.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The specialty retailer reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.01. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a return on equity of 23.47% and a net margin of 3.31%.The firm had revenue of $328.71 million during 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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 16th.

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.