Meeder Asset Management Inc. Buys New Stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 693 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $28,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position 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 stake in 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 worth $13,331,000 after acquiring an additional 176,361 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 75.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 49,410 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,467,000 after acquiring an additional 21,257 shares during the period. Nkcfo LLC purchased a new stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the 4th quarter valued at about $397,000. Finally, State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 1.0% in 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 31.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered 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 Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage stock opened at $42.00 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a twelve month low of $15.82 and a twelve month high of $50.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $963.10 million, a PE ratio of 26.75 and a beta of 1.34. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $42.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.61.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The specialty retailer reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a return on equity of 21.12% and a net margin of 2.84%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.57%.

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.