Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Shares Gap Down - Should You Sell?

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC - Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $50.20, but opened at $47.97. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage shares last traded at $45.68, with a volume of 165,445 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Stock Up 2.7 %

The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $41.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $33.50. The firm has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.60 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.16.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The specialty retailer reported $0.43 earnings per share 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, research analysts forecast that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.57%.

Insider Activity at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

In related news, insider Lark Isely sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were 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 owns 8,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at $387,738.12. This trade represents a 31.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Charity Isely sold 2,000 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,290 shares in the company, valued at $537,441.70. This represents a 14.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 58.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 64.7% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 444,596 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $17,659,000 after acquiring an additional 51,727 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 22,413 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 193,350 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $5,741,000 after buying an additional 1,983 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 31.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 54,115 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,607,000 after buying an additional 12,975 shares in the last quarter. 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.