American Century Companies Inc. Boosts Stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. $NGVC

American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) by 5.9% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 494,542 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 27,732 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage were worth $19,411,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NGVC. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 5,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 86.2% during the first quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 661 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 5.7% during the second quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 6,035 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P boosted its stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 2.8% in the first quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 14,412 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $579,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the period. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 2.6% in the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 16,867 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $678,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. 31.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on NGVC shares. Northcoast Research set a $54.00 target price on shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, 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 1.0%

NYSE NGVC opened at $27.24 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $35.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.73. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a 12 month low of $26.75 and a 12 month high of $61.22. 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 company has a market capitalization of $625.25 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.62 and a beta of 1.26.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last announced 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. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage had a net margin of 3.49% and a return on equity of 24.46%. The firm had revenue of $336.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $348.11 million. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.15 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a $0.15 dividend. This is a boost from Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s payout ratio is currently 30.00%.

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.