Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Sells 24,177 Shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC)

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lowered its stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) by 21.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 88,257 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 24,177 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage were worth $3,506,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,301 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC bought a new position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the 4th quarter worth approximately $328,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 31.99% of the company’s stock.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NGVC opened at $43.03 on Wednesday. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a 1 year low of $15.82 and a 1 year high of $50.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $986.61 million, a P/E ratio of 27.40 and a beta of 1.73. The company’s 50-day moving average is $42.41 and its 200 day moving average is $38.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.15.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last announced its 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 return on equity of 21.12% and a net margin of 2.84%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com lowered 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 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.