Empowered Funds LLC Purchases 675 Shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC)

Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,487 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage worth $615,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. PFG Investments LLC bought a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the fourth quarter worth $224,000. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 53,904 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,141,000 after acquiring an additional 7,384 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 75.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 49,410 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,467,000 after acquiring an additional 21,257 shares during the period. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 64.7% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 449,007 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $13,331,000 after acquiring an additional 176,361 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 31.99% of the company’s stock.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NGVC stock opened at $48.70 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.02 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $42.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.31. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a 1 year low of $14.70 and a 1 year high of $50.91.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The specialty retailer reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a net margin of 2.84% and a return on equity of 21.58%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.56 EPS for the current year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

In other news, insider Lark Isely sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.66, for a total value of $178,640.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 8,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $387,738.12. This represents a 31.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Charity Isely sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.73, for a total transaction of $87,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,290 shares in the company, valued at approximately $537,441.70. The trade was a 14.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 58.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of 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 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.