Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) Shares Purchased by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) by 75.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,410 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,257 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.22% of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage worth $1,467,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 64.7% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 449,007 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $13,331,000 after buying an additional 176,361 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 11.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 219,301 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,513,000 after buying an additional 22,413 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the third quarter valued at approximately $430,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 49.3% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 43,437 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $921,000 after buying an additional 14,338 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the third quarter valued at approximately $421,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.99% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Charity Isely sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.73, for a total transaction of $87,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,290 shares in the company, valued at $537,441.70. This trade represents a 14.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Lark Isely sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.66, for a total value of $178,640.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 8,682 shares in the company, valued at $387,738.12. This trade represents a 31.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 59.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Trading Up 1.9 %

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage stock opened at $41.42 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a 12 month low of $14.31 and a 12 month high of $47.56. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $40.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.52. The firm has a market cap of $949.81 million, a PE ratio of 27.99 and a beta of 1.44.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The specialty retailer reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a return on equity of 20.70% and a net margin of 2.73%. Analysts anticipate that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This is a positive change from Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.43%.

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.