Luke Thompson Sells 3,425 Shares of Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO) Stock

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:GO) EVP Luke Thompson sold 3,425 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.06, for a total value of $20,755.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 92,813 shares in the company, valued at $562,446.78. The trade was a 3.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Grocery Outlet Trading Up 1.5%

GO opened at $5.94 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $9.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $583.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.50. Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. has a 1-year low of $5.66 and a 1-year high of $19.41.

Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.15 EPS. The company’s revenue 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. Analysts expect that Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. will post 0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting Grocery Outlet

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

• Positive Sentiment: Director Erik D. Ragatz completed sizable open‑market purchases (100,000 shares on Mar 16 at ~ $6.09 and an additional 16,003 shares on Mar 17 at ~ $5.85), materially increasing his stake — a visible management vote of confidence that can support the stock. Erik Ragatz SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results showed revenue growth year‑over‑year but an EPS miss (reported $0.19 vs. $0.21 consensus). Management set FY2026 EPS guidance at $0.45–$0.55 — growth is intact but near‑term profitability remains pressured. Earnings & guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have cut targets since the earnings print; consensus rating is weak and the average price target remains well above current levels — limiting near‑term upside until fundamentals or sentiment improve. Analyst coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms have announced or filed securities class actions covering the Aug 5, 2025–Mar 4, 2026 period (Robbins LLP, Faruqi & Faruqi, Block & Leviton, Kirby McInerney, Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter, Pomerantz, Portnoy, etc.). Litigation risk raises the prospect of legal costs, management distraction and potential settlements — a significant near‑term negative. Robbins LLP notice
• Negative Sentiment: Two senior executives (EVPs Steven K. Wilson and Luke D. Thompson) sold modest stakes on Mar 16 (~4,721 and 3,425 shares at ~$6.06). Amounts are small relative to outstanding shares but such insider sales can add short‑term selling pressure. Wilson SEC filing Thompson SEC filing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GO. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $11.50 target price on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Grocery Outlet in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Grocery Outlet from $10.50 to $7.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Eleven 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.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $10.68.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Grocery Outlet

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Grocery Outlet in the third quarter worth $2,696,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Grocery Outlet during the 2nd quarter worth $3,835,000. Eisler Capital Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Grocery Outlet by 178.5% during the 2nd quarter. Eisler Capital Management Ltd. now owns 227,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,821,000 after purchasing an additional 145,554 shares in the last quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Grocery Outlet by 165.1% during the 3rd quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 315,898 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,070,000 after purchasing an additional 196,737 shares during the period. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Grocery Outlet during the 3rd quarter worth $4,448,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.87% of the company’s stock.

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.