Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO) Director Erik Ragatz Buys 33,997 Shares

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:GO) Director Erik Ragatz acquired 33,997 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $5.85 per share, with a total value of $198,882.45. Following the transaction, the director owned 476,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,787,525. This trade represents a 7.68% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Grocery Outlet Price Performance

NASDAQ:GO opened at $5.86 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. has a 52 week low of $5.66 and a 52 week high of $19.41. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $8.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $575.16 million, a PE ratio of -2.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.50.

Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.23 billion. Grocery Outlet had a positive return on equity of 5.93% and a negative net margin of 4.80%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.15 EPS. Grocery Outlet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.450-0.550 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. will post 0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Grocery Outlet from $10.50 to $7.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Grocery Outlet from $12.00 to $9.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Grocery Outlet in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Craig Hallum lowered shares of Grocery Outlet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $8.00 price target on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $10.68.

Trending Headlines about Grocery Outlet

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

• Positive Sentiment: Director insider buys: Director Erik D. Ragatz purchased 50,000 shares at about $5.75 on March 19 (and bought additional shares March 18), increasing his stake to 526,500 shares — a roughly 10.5% increase in his position. Insider buying from a senior director signals management confidence and can provide short‑term support for the stock. InsiderTrades: Director Purchases
• Neutral Sentiment: Business profile piece: A feature describing Grocery Outlet’s opportunistic sourcing and discount inventory model ran on MSN — useful background for understanding margins and growth drivers but unlikely to move the stock materially on its own. MSN: How Grocery Outlet’s food gets onto its shelves
• Negative Sentiment: Wave of class‑action / shareholder alerts: Multiple law firms (Pomerantz, Bernstein Liebhard, Levi & Korsinsky, Robbins LLP, Faruqi & Faruqi, Block & Leviton, etc.) have announced or reminded investors of securities‑fraud class actions covering Aug. 5, 2025–Mar. 4, 2026. Allegations focus on disclosures around rapid expansion and related financial impacts. The proliferation of suits increases legal and reputational risk, could raise defense or settlement costs, and typically weighs on the share price until resolved or dismissed. Pomerantz investor alert on GO class action
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst / estimate pressure: Zacks Research published a lower FY2028 earnings view (approx. $0.50/ share vs. consensus ~$0.63), and several broker targets/ratings have been cut since the company’s March 4 quarter (missed EPS and slightly light revenue). Downward estimate revisions and “reduce/hold” analyst stances can cap upside until results or guidance improve. (Zacks research note referenced by MarketBeat.)

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GO. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Grocery Outlet by 54.0% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,763,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,216,000 after purchasing an additional 5,528,722 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Grocery Outlet by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,255,936 shares of the company’s stock worth $113,685,000 after purchasing an additional 213,325 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Grocery Outlet by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 4,709,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,757,000 after purchasing an additional 22,418 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Grocery Outlet by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,619,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,149,000 after buying an additional 221,693 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in shares of Grocery Outlet by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,577,371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,467,000 after buying an additional 20,819 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.87% of the company’s stock.

Grocery Outlet Company Profile

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.