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

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

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Trading Up 3.6 %

NYSE NGVC opened at $40.38 on Monday. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has a 52-week low of $14.31 and a 52-week high of $47.56. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $40.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $924.94 million, a P/E ratio of 27.28 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This is an increase from Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. 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 32.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Charity Isely sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.73, for a total transaction of $87,460.00. Following the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Lark Isely sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $387,738.12. This trade represents 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 currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NGVC. Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the third quarter valued at $126,000. CreativeOne Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the 3rd quarter worth about $202,000. Hancock Whitney Corp acquired a new stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the 3rd quarter valued at about $214,000. Privium Fund Management B.V. purchased a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the 3rd quarter valued at about $326,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the second quarter worth about $353,000. 31.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.