Company Overview - Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. was founded in 1955 and is a specialty retailer of natural and organic groceries, body care products, and dietary supplements [7] - The company operates 168 stores across 21 states and is headquartered in Lakewood, CO [7] - Natural Grocers emphasizes high-quality products, including 100% certified organic produce and pasture-raised dairy, while avoiding artificial ingredients [5][7] Employment Opportunities - Natural Grocers is hosting a Meet-and-Greet on February 17, 2026, and a Hiring Event on February 18-19, 2026, at The Geneva Inn in Lake Geneva [1][3] - Positions available include Store Manager ($79,000 annually), Assistant Store Manager ($59,000 annually), and various hourly roles ranging from $18 to $23 per hour [3][4] Employee Benefits - The company offers competitive pay and a unique Vitamin Bucks program, providing Crew members with an additional $1 per hour worked as in-store credit [4] - Employees receive a birthday bonus equal to one day's wages and store discounts of up to 30% on products [4] - Full-time employees benefit from comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, along with a 401(k) savings plan and extensive paid time off [4] Community Commitment - Natural Grocers is dedicated to its Five Founding Principles, which include a strong commitment to community and employee welfare [7] - In fiscal year 2025, the company invested over $16 million in incremental compensation and discretionary payments for its Crew [7]

Furthermore, we believe that our company's initiatives position us well to achieve sustainable long-term growth. Next, I will review the performance of key operational initiatives. During the first quarter, nPower Rewards program net sales penetration increased two percentage points to 83%, supported by strong membership gains and higher traffic by nPower customers. The continued expansion of both membership and sales penetration highlights our customers' appreciation for the program's value and benefits. E ...

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Q1 2026 Earnings call February 05, 2026 04:30 PM ET Company ParticipantsChuck Cerankosky - Managing Director and PrincipalJessica Thiessen - VP and TreasurerKemper Isely - Co-PresidentRichard Hallé - CFOScott Mushkin - Founder and CEOOperatorGood day, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Natural Grocers first quarter fiscal year 2026 earnings conference call. At this time, all participants will be in a listen-only mode. Later, we will conduct a question and ans ...

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Q1 2026 Earnings call February 05, 2026 04:30 PM ET Company ParticipantsChuck Cerankosky - Managing Director and PrincipalJessica Thiessen - VP and TreasurerKemper Isely - Co-PresidentRichard Hallé - CFOScott Mushkin - Founder and CEOOperatorGood day, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Natural Grocers first quarter fiscal year 2026 earnings conference call. At this time, all participants will be in a listen-only mode. Later, we will conduct a question and ans ...

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE:NGVC) Q1 2026 Earnings call February 05, 2026 04:30 PM ET Speaker3Good day, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Natural Grocers first quarter fiscal year 2026 earnings conference call. At this time, all participants will be in a listen-only mode. Later, we will conduct a question and answer session, and the instructions will be given at that time. As a reminder, today's conference call is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Miss Jessica T ...

LAKEWOOD, Colo., Feb. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC) today announced results for its first quarter of fiscal 2026 ended December 31, 2025. Highlights for First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Compared to First Quarter Fiscal 2025 SM "Our first quarter results were in-line with expectations, and we are affirming our full year outlook. We believe that our differentiated selection of highquality natural and organic products, enhanced by our Always Affordable pricing strategy, ...

Financial Performance - Net sales for Q1 fiscal 2026 increased by $5.4 million, or 1.6%, to $335.6 million compared to Q1 fiscal 2025, driven by a $5.7 million increase in comparable store sales [4] - Net income for Q1 fiscal 2026 increased by 14.0% to $11.3 million, with diluted earnings per share of $0.49, compared to $9.9 million, or $0.43 diluted earnings per share, in Q1 fiscal 2025 [8] - Adjusted EBITDA for Q1 fiscal 2026 was $23.5 million, reflecting a 3.1% increase from $22.8 million in Q1 fiscal 2025 [9] - EBITDA increased by 6.2% to $22.620 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2026, compared to $21.298 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2025, representing 6.7% of net sales [28] - Adjusted EBITDA rose by 3.1% to $23.525 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2026, compared to $22.820 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2025, accounting for 7.0% of net sales [29] Sales and Store Performance - Daily average comparable store sales rose by 1.7% in Q1 fiscal 2026, with a 1.0% increase in daily average transaction count and a 0.7% increase in daily average transaction size [4] - The company plans to open 6 to 8 new stores and relocate/remodel 2 to 3 stores in fiscal 2026, with a projected daily average comparable store sales growth of 1.5% to 4.0% [13] Expenses and Margins - Gross margin decreased by 40 basis points to 29.5% in Q1 fiscal 2026, down from 29.9% in Q1 fiscal 2025, primarily due to higher inventory shrink [5] - Store expenses decreased by 0.7% to $73.0 million, representing 21.8% of net sales, down from 22.3% in Q1 fiscal 2025 [6] - Administrative expenses decreased by 5.9% to $10.8 million, accounting for 3.2% of net sales, down from 3.5% in Q1 fiscal 2025 [7] Cash Flow and Liquidity - As of December 31, 2025, the company had $23.2 million in cash and cash equivalents and generated $21.1 million in cash from operations during Q1 fiscal 2026 [11] - Net cash provided by operating activities was $21.134 million for the three months ended December 31, 2025, significantly up from $2.682 million in the same period of 2024 [25] - Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period increased to $23.210 million from $6.316 million year-over-year [25] Shareholder Returns - The company declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 per common share, payable on March 18, 2026 [12] - The company incurred $3.455 million in dividends to shareholders, up from $2.749 million in the previous year [25] Other Financial Metrics - The company reported a decrease in accounts payable by $11.993 million, from a decrease of $12.970 million in 2024 to a decrease of $977 thousand in 2025 [25] - Interest expense, net, decreased to $713 thousand from $923 thousand year-over-year [28] - The company reported a loss on impairment of long-lived assets and store closing costs of $45 thousand, down from $87 thousand in the previous year [28] - The acquisition of property and equipment not yet paid was $6.318 million, compared to $3.828 million in the prior year [25]

Financial Performance - Net sales for the three months ended December 31, 2025, increased to $335,579,000, up from $330,221,000 in the same period of 2024, representing a growth of 1.1%[20] - Gross profit for the same period was $98,859,000, slightly up from $98,824,000, indicating a stable gross margin[20] - Operating income rose to $14,647,000, compared to $13,348,000 in the prior year, reflecting an increase of 9.7%[20] - Net income for the quarter was $11,334,000, an increase from $9,938,000 year-over-year, marking a growth of 14.0%[20] - Basic net income per share increased to $0.49 from $0.43, a rise of 13.9%[20] - EBITDA for the three months ended December 31, 2025, was $22.6 million, an increase of $1.3 million, or 6.2%, compared to $21.3 million for the same period in 2024[95] - Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended December 31, 2025, was $23.5 million, an increase of $0.7 million, or 3.1%, compared to $22.8 million for the same period in 2024[95] - Daily average comparable store sales increased by 1.7% for the three months ended December 31, 2025, compared to the same period in 2024[95] - Net income was $11.3 million, or $0.49 diluted earnings per share, for the three months ended December 31, 2025, compared to $9.9 million, or $0.43 diluted earnings per share, for the same period in 2024[119] Assets and Liabilities - Total current assets decreased slightly to $166,808,000 from $168,075,000, a decline of 0.8%[18] - Total liabilities decreased to $448,545,000 from $458,109,000, a reduction of 2.3%[18] - Total stockholders' equity increased to $220,011,000 from $212,395,000, reflecting a growth of 3.8%[18] - Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period increased to $23,210,000 from $17,116,000, a growth of 35.7%[22] - The Company had $67.6 million available for borrowing under its Credit Facility as of December 31, 2025, down from $70.1 million as of September 30, 2025[52] - The Company had no revolving loan amounts outstanding under the Credit Facility as of December 31, 2025[52] Expenses - Store expenses decreased by $0.5 million, or 0.7%, to $73.0 million for the three months ended December 31, 2025[114] - Administrative expenses decreased by $0.7 million, or 5.9%, to $10.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2025[115] - The Company incurred gross interest expense of $0.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2025, compared to $1.0 million for the same period in 2024, showing a decrease of 20%[55] - The total accrued expenses decreased to $31.734 million as of December 31, 2025, from $37.236 million as of September 30, 2025[79] Cash Flow - Net cash provided by operating activities increased by $18.5 million, or 688.0%, to $21.1 million for the three months ended December 31, 2025, compared to $2.7 million for the same period in 2024[133] - Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period were $23.2 million, up from $6.3 million at the end of December 31, 2024[132] - Net cash used in investing activities increased by $0.2 million, or 1.7%, to $9.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2025[134] - Net cash used by financing activities was $5.5 million for the three months ended December 31, 2025, compared to net cash provided of $4.2 million for the same period in 2024[136] Store Operations - The company operated 168 stores as of December 31, 2025, down from 169 stores as of September 30, 2025[28] - The company operated 168 stores in 21 states as of December 31, 2025, with plans to open six to eight new stores in fiscal year 2026[92][94] - The company aims for an annual new store unit growth rate of 4% to 5% for the foreseeable future[94] Lease and Property - The Company reported a total property and equipment net value of $189.525 million as of December 31, 2025, up from $182.741 million as of September 30, 2025[75] - The Company recognized operating cash flows from operating leases of $11.467 million for the three months ended December 31, 2025, slightly down from $11.476 million in 2024[71] - The weighted-average remaining lease term for operating leases decreased to 9.3 years as of December 31, 2025, from 9.7 years in 2024[71] - Total future undiscounted lease payments amount to $407.837 million, with $338.909 million related to operating leases and $68.928 million to finance leases[72] - The Company had 24 leases classified as finance leases as of December 31, 2025, down from 25 leases as of September 30, 2025[54] Dividends and Share Repurchase - The Company paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 per share in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, up from $0.12 per share in the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, representing a 25% increase[58] - The company did not repurchase any shares during the three months ended December 31, 2025, leaving $8.1 million available for future repurchases under the share repurchase program[128] - A quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 per share was paid in the three months ended December 31, 2025, with another dividend approved for March 18, 2026[129] Regulatory Compliance - Certifications required under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 were included, ensuring compliance and accountability from principal executive and financial officers[31.1][31.2][31.3] - The company continues to adhere to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, demonstrating commitment to regulatory standards[160] - The report includes notes to the unaudited interim consolidated financial statements, offering additional context on financial results[101] - The company’s filings are not deemed filed with the SEC and are not to be incorporated by reference into any future filings, ensuring clarity in regulatory compliance[101] Strategic Insights - The grocery industry is experiencing increased competition, with a focus on natural and organic products, impacting the company's market position[97] - The company has identified opportunities for increased economies of scale in sourcing products, although fixed costs may limit cost leverage[99] - The balance of contract liabilities related to unredeemed gift cards was $1.8 million as of December 31, 2025, compared to $1.6 million as of September 30, 2025[44]

LAKEWOOD, Colo., Feb. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural Grocers®, the leading family-operated organic and natural grocery retailer in the U.S., invites customers to its Celebrate Iowa Day event Feb. 8–10 at its six Iowa stores. Customers are invited to celebrate Iowa Day with a free Natural Grocers reusable tote bag and a $5-off coupon for in-store purchases for all {N}power® members. Continue Reading Natural Grocers® will be celebrating Iowa Statehood Day by honoring its customers with a freebie and extra sa ...

Investor Presentation February 2026 Disclosures Forward-Looking Statements This presentation includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 in addition to historical information. All statements that are not statements of historical fact, including those that relate to matters such as our industry, business strategy, goals and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, capital expenditures, liquidity ...