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

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:GO) EVP Luke Thompson sold 3,425 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.06, for a total transaction of $20,755.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 92,813 shares in the company, valued at $562,446.78. This represents a 3.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Grocery Outlet Stock Down 3.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:GO opened at $5.87 on Wednesday. Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. has a 1 year low of $5.66 and a 1 year high of $19.41. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $576.16 million, a P/E ratio of -2.56, a PEG ratio of 1.74 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 (NASDAQ:GO) last posted its 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 company had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Grocery Outlet had a negative net margin of 4.80% and a positive return on equity of 5.93%. Grocery Outlet’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.15 EPS. Grocery Outlet has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.450-0.550 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on GO shares. DA Davidson set a $8.00 price target on Grocery Outlet in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group cut shares of Grocery Outlet from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $15.00 to $9.00 in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Grocery Outlet from $10.50 to $7.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Grocery Outlet presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $10.68.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grocery Outlet

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its position in Grocery Outlet by 1,030.4% in the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 2,532 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 2,308 shares during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of Grocery Outlet in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Grocery Outlet by 591.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,739 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Grocery Outlet during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Grocery Outlet by 32.3% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,942 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 719 shares during the last quarter. 99.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Grocery Outlet News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Director Erik D. Ragatz made sizable open?market purchases (100,000 shares ~Mar 16 at ~$6.09 and a further 16,003 shares Mar 17 at ~$5.85), materially increasing his stake — a visible management vote of confidence that can support the stock. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results: Grocery Outlet missed EPS expectations for the March quarter and set FY2026 guidance of $0.45–$0.55, while revenue grew year?over?year. That performance and guidance are already baked into analyst views and the stock’s low trading multiples. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: High institutional ownership and small recent institutional changes mean moves can be amplified by low retail liquidity; long?term holders dominate the cap table. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Two senior executives (EVPs Steven K. Wilson and Luke D. Thompson) sold small portions of their holdings on Mar 16 (~4,721 and 3,425 shares at ~ $6.06). Insider sales can add short?term selling pressure even if amounts are modest. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms have filed or announced securities class actions and investigations naming Grocery Outlet (covering Aug 5, 2025–Mar 4, 2026). Litigation risk raises the prospect of legal costs, management distraction and potential settlements — a clear near?term negative for the stock. Read More. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sentiment has softened (multiple downgrades and lower targets since the earnings print), leaving the consensus rating weak and the average target well above current trading levels — a headwind for near?term upside. Read More.

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.