Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO) Trading Up 8.6% on Insider Buying Activity

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:GO)’s share price rose 8.6% on Thursday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The stock traded as high as $6.94 and last traded at $7.1050. Approximately 1,380,586 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 60% from the average daily volume of 3,492,468 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.54.

Specifically, CEO Jason J. N. Potter purchased 110,252 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $6.35 per share, with a total value of $700,100.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 684,618 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,347,324.30. The trade was a 19.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jason J. N. Potter acquired 286,097 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $5.90 per share, for a total transaction of $1,687,972.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 574,366 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,388,759.40. This trade represents a 99.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on GO shares. Telsey Advisory Group cut Grocery Outlet from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $15.00 to $9.00 in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Grocery Outlet from $10.50 to $7.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $7.00 price target (down from $18.00) on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Grocery Outlet from $12.00 to $9.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $10.68.

More Grocery Outlet News

Here are the key news stories impacting Grocery Outlet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO insider buying — CEO Jason Potter materially increased his stake with a large purchase (110,252 shares on Mar 23 plus 2,556 shares on Mar 24), a signal management is showing conviction which likely supported intraday buying. SEC Form 4 disclosure
• Positive Sentiment: Short‑term market response — news of insider purchases was widely reported and coincided with a gap up and elevated volume versus average, which can amplify short‑term upside as traders chase confirmed insider interest. Coverage of gap up after insider buying
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent fundamentals are mixed — last quarter Grocery Outlet missed EPS and slightly missed revenue but reported ~10.7% revenue growth and issued FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $0.45–$0.55; these results and guidance create a mixed fundamental backdrop that could limit a sustained rally absent better execution. MarketBeat company summary
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple securities‑fraud class actions and investor alerts — several law firms have filed or announced investigations alleging material misstatements/omissions (class period Aug 5, 2025–Mar 4, 2026) tied to expansion metrics and a sharp prior one‑day stock drop; litigation risk and potential damages or management distraction present a significant near‑term overhang. Representative notices: Kirby McInerney alert Scott+Scott investigation PR Newswire deadline notice

Grocery Outlet Trading Up 9.2%

The firm has a market cap of $700.79 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $8.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.44.

Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.02). Grocery Outlet had a positive return on equity of 5.93% and a negative net margin of 4.80%.The company had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.15 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. Grocery Outlet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.450-0.550 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. will post 0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Grocery Outlet by 54.0% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,763,945 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,216,000 after buying an additional 5,528,722 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Grocery Outlet by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,255,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $113,685,000 after buying an additional 213,325 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Grocery Outlet by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 4,709,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,757,000 after acquiring an additional 22,418 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Grocery Outlet by 5.0% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,619,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,149,000 after acquiring an additional 221,693 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Grocery Outlet by 0.5% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,577,371 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,467,000 after acquiring an additional 20,819 shares during the last quarter. 99.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Grocery Outlet

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: GO) is a specialty discount retailer that offers consumers deeply discounted groceries by purchasing excess inventory, closeouts, and overstocks from manufacturers and distributors. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, the company operates two primary banners—Grocery Outlet and Fresh2Go—with a combined footprint of more than 400 stores. Its product assortment spans fresh produce, meat, dairy, bakery items, household staples, natural and organic offerings, and select specialty products, all sold at significant markdowns compared to conventional supermarkets.

The company’s unique buying model enables it to source inventory through opportunistic purchases of surplus freight, discontinued items, and closeout deals, which it then passes on as savings to its customers.