Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) Shares Purchased by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) by 75.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 49,410 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,257 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage were worth $1,467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the 3rd quarter valued at $126,000. CreativeOne Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the 3rd quarter worth $202,000. Hancock Whitney Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the 3rd quarter worth $214,000. Privium Fund Management B.V. acquired a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the 3rd quarter worth $326,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the 3rd quarter worth $361,000. 31.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Lark Isely sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.66, for a total transaction of $178,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,682 shares in the company, valued at $387,738.12. This trade represents a 31.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Charity Isely sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.73, for a total value of $87,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $537,441.70. This trade represents a 14.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 59.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NGVC opened at $41.42 on Friday. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a 52-week low of $14.31 and a 52-week high of $47.56. The company has a market capitalization of $949.81 million, a PE ratio of 27.99 and a beta of 1.44. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The specialty retailer reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a return on equity of 20.70% and a net margin of 2.73%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.56 EPS for the current year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.16%. This is an increase from Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.43%.

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.