Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Reaches New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $47.89 and last traded at $47.48, with a volume of 59230 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $46.43.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Stock Up 4.1 %

The firm has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.62 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $41.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $32.82.

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

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. This is a boost from Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage news, insider Lark Isely sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.66, for a total value of $178,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,682 shares in the company, valued at $387,738.12. This represents a 31.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Charity Isely sold 2,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now owns 12,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. 58.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 64.7% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 11.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 219,301 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,513,000 after purchasing an additional 22,413 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 75.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 49,410 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,467,000 after buying an additional 21,257 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the third quarter valued at approximately $430,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 49.3% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 43,437 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $921,000 after buying an additional 14,338 shares during the last quarter. 31.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.