Key Points
- CEO Jason Potter purchased 286,097 shares on March 19 at $5.90 each (~$1.69M), raising his holdings to 574,366 shares—a 99.25% increase in his stake.
- Grocery Outlet missed its March 4 quarter (EPS $0.19 vs. $0.21 est.) with revenue of $1.22B, set FY2026 guidance of $0.45–$0.55 EPS, and the stock trades near its 12‑month low while analysts hold a consensus "Reduce" view and $10.68 price target.
- Several class‑action/shareholder lawsuits have been filed covering Aug. 5, 2025–Mar. 4, 2026, raising legal and reputational risk that could weigh on the stock until resolved.
Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:GO - Get Free Report) CEO Jason Potter acquired 286,097 shares of Grocery Outlet stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were purchased at an average price 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 in the company, valued at $3,388,759.40. This represents a 99.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.
Grocery Outlet Stock Performance
Shares of GO stock opened at $5.79 on Friday. Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. has a 12-month low of $5.66 and a 12-month high of $19.41. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $8.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a market cap of $568.31 million, a PE ratio of -2.53, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.50.
Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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). Grocery Outlet had a negative net margin of 4.80% and a positive return on equity of 5.93%. The business had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.15 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Trending Headlines about Grocery Outlet
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.)
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Grocery Outlet
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of Grocery Outlet by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 122,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,713,000 after purchasing an additional 6,736 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Grocery Outlet by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 357,856 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,003,000 after acquiring an additional 44,214 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of Grocery Outlet by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 16,525 shares of the company's stock valued at $205,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Grocery Outlet by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 642,806 shares of the company's stock worth $7,984,000 after purchasing an additional 44,427 shares during the period. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Grocery Outlet during the second quarter worth approximately $263,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.87% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
GO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Grocery Outlet in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered Grocery Outlet from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $15.00 to $9.00 in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Craig Hallum downgraded shares of Grocery Outlet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $10.68.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Grocery Outlet
Grocery Outlet Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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