Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 127,200 shares, a drop of 31.8% from the September 15th total of 186,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 89,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.4 days. Currently, 1.8% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 49.3% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 43,437 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $921,000 after buying an additional 14,338 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $353,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 28.3% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 304,382 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,453,000 after purchasing an additional 67,187 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 21.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 28,655 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $607,000 after purchasing an additional 4,980 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 14.4% during the second quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 57,533 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,220,000 after purchasing an additional 7,254 shares in the last quarter. 31.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Price Performance

NGVC stock traded up $0.72 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $26.67. The stock had a trading volume of 46,183 shares, compared to its average volume of 72,463. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has a 52-week low of $11.93 and a 52-week high of $30.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $26.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.40. The company has a market cap of $607.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.17 and a beta of 1.21.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The specialty retailer reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $309.08 million for the quarter. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a net margin of 2.54% and a return on equity of 18.89%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage will post 1.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s payout ratio is 31.75%.

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.