Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Friday morning.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Trading Down 4.6 %

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage stock traded down $1.13 during trading on Friday, hitting $23.67. The company had a trading volume of 5,789 shares, compared to its average volume of 67,499. The stock has a market cap of $539.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.68 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has a 1-year low of $11.85 and a 1-year high of $27.60. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.15.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The specialty retailer reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $308.09 million during the quarter. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a net margin of 2.42% and a return on equity of 17.60%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.29 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage will post 1.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.75%.

Institutional Trading of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NGVC. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 159.8% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,847 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,136 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the first quarter valued at $36,000. AJOVista LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the fourth quarter worth about $75,000. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the first quarter worth about $216,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the 4th quarter valued at about $349,000. 31.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.