Ritholtz Wealth Management Cuts Stock Position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC)

Ritholtz Wealth Management reduced its stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,179 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 337 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management owned approximately 0.12% of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage worth $1,119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the 3rd quarter worth $361,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 219,301 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,513,000 after purchasing an additional 22,413 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 64.7% in the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 449,007 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $13,331,000 after purchasing an additional 176,361 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of 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 worth $5,741,000 after buying an additional 1,983 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the 3rd quarter valued at about $430,000. 31.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NGVC stock opened at $40.33 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.19. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.31 and a fifty-two week high of $47.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $923.96 million, a P/E ratio of 27.25 and a beta of 1.44.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This is an increase from Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s payout ratio is currently 32.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Charity Isely sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.73, for a total value of $87,460.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $537,441.70. This trade represents a 14.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Lark Isely sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 59.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Company 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.