Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO) EVP Luke Thompson Sells 3,785 Shares of Stock

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:GO) EVP Luke Thompson sold 3,785 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.84, for a total value of $22,104.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 35,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,454.32. The trade was a 9.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Grocery Outlet Trading Up 3.9%

Shares of NASDAQ GO traded up $0.24 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $6.32. 5,243,429 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,982,381. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $9.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 1.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $620.31 million, a PE ratio of -2.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.50. Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. has a 12-month low of $5.66 and a 12-month high of $19.41.

Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by ($0.02). Grocery Outlet had a negative net margin of 4.80% and a positive return on equity of 5.93%. The firm had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.15 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Grocery Outlet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.450-0.550 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on GO shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $11.00 price target on shares of Grocery Outlet in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Grocery Outlet from $12.00 to $9.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $7.00 target price (down from $18.00) on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Grocery Outlet from $11.00 to $7.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Grocery Outlet has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $10.68.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grocery Outlet

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Grocery Outlet by 32.3% in the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,942 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 719 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Grocery Outlet by 1.0% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 72,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $895,000 after buying an additional 739 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of Grocery Outlet by 5.1% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 16,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $205,000 after buying an additional 803 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank increased its stake in shares of Grocery Outlet by 3.5% during the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 28,875 shares of the company’s stock worth $463,000 after buying an additional 967 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Grocery Outlet by 5.5% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 30,320 shares of the company’s stock valued at $487,000 after acquiring an additional 1,591 shares in the last quarter. 99.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Grocery Outlet

Here are the key news stories impacting Grocery Outlet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director insider buy — Director John E. Bachman purchased 16,000 shares at ~$6.46, increasing his stake ~28%, a commonly viewed signal of insider confidence. Director Acquires $103,360.00 in Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 coverage and rising market interest — Articles highlighting Grocery Outlet as a Q4 earnings outperformer and reporting increased market interest can attract momentum buyers and improve short‑term liquidity. Q4 earnings outperformers Market Interest Rises
• Neutral Sentiment: Large institutional ownership — Major funds (T. Rowe Price, Vanguard, others) hold sizable positions, which can support liquidity but also amplify moves if institutions rebalance. (Background filings/aggregate reporting)
• Negative Sentiment: Law firm investigation — Levi & Korsinsky announced an investigation into possible securities‑law violations related to prior guidance adjustments (reference to a narrowed FY2025 comps outlook), increasing litigation risk and investor uncertainty. Ongoing Investigation Notice
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and “Reduce” consensus — Several firms cut ratings/targets (consensus shown as “Reduce”), which can pressure the stock via lower targets and negative headlines. Given Average Rating of Reduce Analyst Scrutiny on Consumer Trends
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings and guidance headwinds — Latest quarter showed a slight EPS and revenue miss and management set conservative FY2026 EPS guidance (0.45–0.55), below some analyst expectations, highlighting margin pressure and limited near‑term upside. (Company earnings disclosures/aggregate reporting)

About Grocery Outlet

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: GO) is a specialty discount retailer that offers consumers deeply discounted groceries by purchasing excess inventory, closeouts, and overstocks from manufacturers and distributors. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, the company operates two primary banners—Grocery Outlet and Fresh2Go—with a combined footprint of more than 400 stores. Its product assortment spans fresh produce, meat, dairy, bakery items, household staples, natural and organic offerings, and select specialty products, all sold at significant markdowns compared to conventional supermarkets.

The company’s unique buying model enables it to source inventory through opportunistic purchases of surplus freight, discontinued items, and closeout deals, which it then passes on as savings to its customers.