Virtus Advisers LLC Decreases Stock Position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. $NGVC

Virtus Advisers LLC decreased its position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) by 74.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 707 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,100 shares during the period. Virtus Advisers LLC’s holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage were worth $28,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NGVC. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 757,084 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,435,000 after buying an additional 67,793 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 497,268 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $19,990,000 after acquiring an additional 96,678 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 494,542 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $19,411,000 after acquiring an additional 27,732 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 20.1% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 271,380 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $10,653,000 after purchasing an additional 45,343 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 58.9% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 257,564 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $10,354,000 after purchasing an additional 95,434 shares in the last quarter. 31.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Northcoast Research set a $54.00 price target on shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $54.00.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Trading Down 0.9%

NGVC stock opened at $27.51 on Tuesday. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.75 and a twelve month high of $61.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $631.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.75 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $35.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.90.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $336.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $348.11 million. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a net margin of 3.49% and a return on equity of 24.46%. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.15 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.00%.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage 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.