Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Buys 6,906 Shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE:NGVC) by 25.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 33,708 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 6,906 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage were worth $1,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $361,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 11.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 219,301 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,513,000 after purchasing an additional 22,413 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lifted its position in Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 64.7% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 449,007 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $13,331,000 after buying an additional 176,361 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage by 75.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 49,410 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,467,000 after buying an additional 21,257 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nkcfo LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage in the 4th quarter worth about $397,000. 31.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of 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 Stock Performance

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage stock opened at $38.19 on Thursday. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has a twelve month low of $15.82 and a twelve month high of $50.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a market capitalization of $875.73 million, a P/E ratio of 24.32 and a beta of 1.34. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $42.57 and its 200 day moving average is $36.77.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The specialty retailer reported $0.43 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, equities research analysts predict that Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.57%.

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.