Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO) CEO Sells $393,598.48 in Stock

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:GO) CEO Jason Potter sold 67,397 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.84, for a total value of $393,598.48. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 101,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $590,394.80. This represents a 40.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Grocery Outlet Price Performance

Grocery Outlet stock traded up $0.24 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $6.32. 5,243,429 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,982,381. Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. has a 12-month low of $5.66 and a 12-month high of $19.41. The company has a market cap of $620.31 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.81, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $9.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. Grocery Outlet had a positive return on equity of 5.93% and a negative net margin of 4.80%.The company’s revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.15 earnings per share. Grocery Outlet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.450-0.550 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grocery Outlet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GO. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Grocery Outlet in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Grocery Outlet by 591.5% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,739 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its holdings in Grocery Outlet by 1,030.4% in the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 2,532 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 2,308 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Grocery Outlet by 32.3% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,942 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 719 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Grocery Outlet during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.87% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Grocery Outlet

Here are the key news stories impacting Grocery Outlet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director insider buy — Director John E. Bachman purchased 16,000 shares at ~$6.46, increasing his stake ~28%, a commonly viewed signal of insider confidence. Director Acquires $103,360.00 in Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 coverage and rising market interest — Articles highlighting Grocery Outlet as a Q4 earnings outperformer and reporting increased market interest can attract momentum buyers and improve short‑term liquidity. Q4 earnings outperformers Market Interest Rises
• Neutral Sentiment: Large institutional ownership — Major funds (T. Rowe Price, Vanguard, others) hold sizable positions, which can support liquidity but also amplify moves if institutions rebalance. (Background filings/aggregate reporting)
• Negative Sentiment: Law firm investigation — Levi & Korsinsky announced an investigation into possible securities‑law violations related to prior guidance adjustments (reference to a narrowed FY2025 comps outlook), increasing litigation risk and investor uncertainty. Ongoing Investigation Notice
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and “Reduce” consensus — Several firms cut ratings/targets (consensus shown as “Reduce”), which can pressure the stock via lower targets and negative headlines. Given Average Rating of Reduce Analyst Scrutiny on Consumer Trends
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings and guidance headwinds — Latest quarter showed a slight EPS and revenue miss and management set conservative FY2026 EPS guidance (0.45–0.55), below some analyst expectations, highlighting margin pressure and limited near‑term upside. (Company earnings disclosures/aggregate reporting)

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Grocery Outlet from $11.00 to $7.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Grocery Outlet from $10.50 to $7.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Zacks Research lowered Grocery Outlet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $11.50 target price on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $10.68.

Grocery Outlet Company Profile

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: GO) is a specialty discount retailer that offers consumers deeply discounted groceries by purchasing excess inventory, closeouts, and overstocks from manufacturers and distributors. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, the company operates two primary banners—Grocery Outlet and Fresh2Go—with a combined footprint of more than 400 stores. Its product assortment spans fresh produce, meat, dairy, bakery items, household staples, natural and organic offerings, and select specialty products, all sold at significant markdowns compared to conventional supermarkets.

The company’s unique buying model enables it to source inventory through opportunistic purchases of surplus freight, discontinued items, and closeout deals, which it then passes on as savings to its customers.