Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. $NGVC Shares Bought by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 494,542 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,732 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 2.15% of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage worth $19,411,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 86.2% during the 1st quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 661 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the first quarter valued at $57,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the first quarter valued at about $83,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 63.5% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,309 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the 1st quarter worth about $113,000. 31.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on NGVC shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Northcoast Research set a $54.00 price target on Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $54.00.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Stock Down 1.0%

NGVC stock opened at $27.24 on Wednesday. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a one year low of $26.75 and a one year high of $61.22. The firm has a market cap of $625.25 million, a PE ratio of 13.62 and a beta of 1.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $35.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.09. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 3.49%.The company had revenue of $336.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $348.11 million. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.15 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This is an increase from Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s payout ratio is presently 30.00%.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage 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.