Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Shares Up 2.6% – Still a Buy?

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC)’s stock price shot up 2.6% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $38.66 and last traded at $39.10. 31,874 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 99,454 shares. The stock had previously closed at $38.12.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut 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 Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $929.74 million, a PE ratio of 25.95 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.15. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $42.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.41.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The specialty retailer reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a net margin of 2.84% and a return on equity of 21.12%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s payout ratio is presently 30.57%.

Institutional Trading of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,301 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the 3rd quarter worth about $126,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.99% of the company’s stock.

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.