Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Downgraded to “Buy” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Trading Up 1.1 %

NGVC stock opened at $38.81 on Monday. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has a fifty-two week low of $14.31 and a fifty-two week high of $47.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.96. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $39.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.55. The firm has a market cap of $888.98 million, a PE ratio of 26.22 and a beta of 1.44.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.24%. This is an increase from Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s payout ratio is currently 32.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Lark Isely sold 4,000 shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.66, for a total transaction of $178,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 8,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $387,738.12. The trade was a 31.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Charity Isely sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $537,441.70. The trade was a 14.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 59.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NGVC. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 36,781 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,092,000 after acquiring an additional 1,150 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 1.0% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 193,350 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,741,000 after purchasing an additional 1,983 shares in the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P grew its stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 24.3% in the third quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 13,312 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 2,600 shares during the last quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. bought a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the third quarter worth about $126,000. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the third quarter valued at about $202,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 31.99% of the company’s stock.

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.