Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Hits New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $26.50 and last traded at $26.6350, with a volume of 43879 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $27.18.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on NGVC. Northcoast Research set a $54.00 price target on Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $54.00.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Trading Down 1.1%

The business has a fifty day moving average of $34.91 and a 200-day moving average of $38.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $616.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 1.26.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $336.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $348.11 million. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 3.49%.Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.15 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is a positive change from Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 86.2% in the 1st quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 661 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 136.5% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,114 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 643 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 36.2% during the third quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 1,154 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 307 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. increased its stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 48.9% during the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,303 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the period. 31.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.