Jason Potter Buys 286,097 Shares of Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO) Stock

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:GO) CEO Jason Potter bought 286,097 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $5.90 per share, with a total value of $1,687,972.30. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 574,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,388,759.40. The trade was a 99.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Grocery Outlet Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Grocery Outlet stock traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $5.79. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,574,832 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,438,979. The stock has a market cap of $568.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 1.37. Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. has a twelve month low of $5.66 and a twelve month high of $19.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $8.96 and a 200-day moving average of $11.85.

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

Grocery Outlet News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Director insider buying: Director Erik D. Ragatz substantially increased his stake, buying 33,997 shares on March 18 (~$5.85/sh) and a reported 50,000 shares on March 19 (~$5.75/sh), raising his direct holdings to ~526,500 shares. Insider purchases at current low prices can signal management confidence and provide short‑term support. InsiderTrades: Director Purchases
• Neutral Sentiment: Company profile/operations story: A feature on Grocery Outlet’s opportunistic sourcing and discount model ran on MSN, useful context for revenue and margin drivers but unlikely to move the stock materially by itself. MSN: How Grocery Outlet’s food gets onto its shelves
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple class‑action / shareholder alerts: Several law firms (Pomerantz, Robbins LLP, Bernstein Liebhard, Faruqi & Faruqi, Levi & Korsinsky, etc.) have announced or reminded investors of securities‑fraud suits covering Aug. 5, 2025–Mar. 4, 2026, and set lead‑plaintiff deadlines (commonly May 15, 2026). The proliferation of filings increases legal and reputational risk, may raise defense or settlement costs, and typically weighs on the stock until resolved. Pomerantz investor alert on GO class action
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst and estimate pressure: Following the March 4 quarter (missed EPS and slightly light revenue) sell‑side firms have cut targets/ratings and services such as Zacks have trimmed multi‑year EPS views (e.g., FY2028 view lower than consensus). Downward revisions and “hold/reduce” stances constrain upside until earnings/guidance stabilize. (See recent analyst notes and coverage summaries.)

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grocery Outlet

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its stake in shares of Grocery Outlet by 1,030.4% in the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 2,532 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 2,308 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in Grocery Outlet in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Grocery Outlet by 591.5% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,739 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Grocery Outlet during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Grocery Outlet by 32.3% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,942 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 719 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.87% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on GO shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Grocery Outlet from $11.00 to $7.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 5th. DA Davidson set a $8.00 price target on Grocery Outlet in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $11.00 price objective on Grocery Outlet in a report on Thursday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Grocery Outlet from $12.00 to $9.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Grocery Outlet from $10.50 to $7.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $10.68.

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.