Natural Grocers Q1 net sales rise, affirms 2026 outlook

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage

05/02/2026 21:18

Overview

Natural foods retailer's fiscal Q1 net sales rose 1.6% yr/yr

Net income for fiscal Q1 increased 14% to $11.3 mln

Adjusted EBITDA for fiscal Q1 rose 3.1% to $23.5 mln

Outlook

Company affirms fiscal 2026 outlook with 6 to 8 new stores

Natural Grocers expects fiscal 2026 diluted EPS of $2.00 to $2.15

Company anticipates daily average comparable store sales growth of 1.5% to 4.0%

Result Drivers

COMPARABLE STORE SALES - Co reported a $5.7 mln increase in comparable store sales, contributing to overall sales growth

EXPENSE MANAGEMENT - Store expenses decreased 0.7% due to effective expense management, contributing to improved operating income

PRICING STRATEGY - Co's Always Affordable pricing strategy reinforced its competitive position amid economic uncertainty, per Co-President Kemper Isely

Key Details

Metric
Beat/Miss
Actual
Consensus Estimate
Q1 Sales
$335.58 mln
Q1 EPS
$0.49
Q1 Net Income
$11.33 mln
Q1 Adjusted EBITDA
$23.50 mln
Q1 Gross Margin
29.50%
Q1 Gross Profit
$98.86 mln


Analyst Coverage

The one available analyst rating on the shares is "strong buy"

The average consensus recommendation for the miscellaneous specialty retailers peer group is "buy."

Wall Street's median 12-month price target for Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Inc is $54.00, about 99.6% above its February 4 closing price of $27.05

The stock recently traded at 13 times the next 12-month earnings vs. a P/E of 15 three months ago

Press Release: ID:nPn8PmQWJa

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(This story was created using Reuters automation and AI based on LSEG and company data. It was checked and edited by a Reuters journalist prior to publication.)