Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) Shares Purchased by Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC - Free Report) by 15.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,904 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 7,384 shares during the quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.24% of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage worth $2,141,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 75.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 49,410 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,467,000 after purchasing an additional 21,257 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 64.7% in the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 449,007 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $13,331,000 after buying an additional 176,361 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 285.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 12,420 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $368,000 after buying an additional 9,196 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 219,301 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $6,513,000 after acquiring an additional 22,413 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 67.6% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 22,354 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $664,000 after acquiring an additional 9,018 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 31.99% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut 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 Price Performance

Shares of NGVC traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $41.42. 90,640 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 79,760. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $41.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.79. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.31 and a 12-month high of $47.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market cap of $949.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.99 and a beta of 1.44.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The specialty retailer reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a net margin of 2.73% and a return on equity of 20.70%. Research analysts expect 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This is an increase from Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage's previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.16%. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage's payout ratio is 32.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

In related news, insider Lark Isely sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.66, for a total transaction of $178,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $387,738.12. This trade represents a 31.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Charity Isely sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.73, for a total transaction of $87,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,290 shares in the company, valued at $537,441.70. The trade was a 14.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 59.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage 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.