Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $32.49 and last traded at $32.49, with a volume of 7381 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.57.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Stock Up 7.5 %

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $27.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $748.65 million, a P/E ratio of 22.64 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The specialty retailer reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $309.08 million during the quarter. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a return on equity of 18.89% and a net margin of 2.54%. Equities analysts expect that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were given a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.63%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 178,328 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,781,000 after buying an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 36,781 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,092,000 after acquiring an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 8.0% during the second quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 40,628 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $861,000 after purchasing an additional 3,018 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 3.7% in the first quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 84,951 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,533,000 after buying an additional 3,050 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 31.99% of the company’s stock.

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.