Insider Buying: Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO) CEO Purchases $17,074.08 in Stock

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:GO) CEO Jason Potter purchased 2,556 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 24th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $6.68 per share, with a total value of $17,074.08. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,590,322.32. This trade represents a 0.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Grocery Outlet Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GO opened at $7.07 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $8.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.37. The stock has a market cap of $693.92 million, a P/E ratio of -3.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.50. Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. has a twelve month low of $5.66 and a twelve month high of $19.41.

Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.02). Grocery Outlet had a positive return on equity of 5.93% and a negative net margin of 4.80%.The company had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grocery Outlet

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd boosted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in Grocery Outlet during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Grocery Outlet by 591.5% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,739 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Grocery Outlet during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Grocery Outlet by 32.3% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,942 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 719 shares in the last quarter. 99.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on GO. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Grocery Outlet from $10.50 to $7.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Grocery Outlet from $12.00 to $9.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $7.00 target price (down from $18.00) on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Grocery Outlet from $11.00 to $7.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $11.50 price target on shares of Grocery Outlet in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $10.68.

Key Stories Impacting Grocery Outlet

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

• Positive Sentiment: CEO insider buys — CEO Jason Potter disclosed additional purchases (including a 2,556?share purchase on March 24 and larger buys reported March 23), which many investors view as a bullish signal of management confidence in the business. SEC Form 4
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent fundamentals/context — Grocery Outlet reported a modest EPS miss on March 4 ($0.19 vs. $0.21 expected) and set FY?2026 EPS guidance of $0.45–$0.55, below some analyst expectations; this leaves limited near?term upside absent better guidance execution or margin improvement.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple class?action notices and filings — Several law firms have announced investigations, investor alerts and a filed securities?fraud lawsuit alleging material misstatements/omissions about the company’s growth and expansion (class period cited Aug 5, 2025–Mar 4, 2026). These notices increase the risk of legal costs, management distraction and reputational damage. PR Newswire: Shareholders Opportunity to Lead Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Lead?plaintiff solicitation & deadlines — Multiple firms (Kirby McInerney, Bernstein Liebhard, Pomerantz, Scott+Scott, others) are soliciting lead?plaintiff motions with an early May 15 deadline, which tends to amplify selling pressure and media attention while potential claim aggregation proceeds. GlobeNewswire: Shareholder Alert
• Negative Sentiment: Allegations of concealing deteriorating metrics — Some notices specifically allege concealment of worsening business?performance metrics and cite a prior sharp single?day selloff, increasing perceived downside tail risk if allegations gain traction. PR Newswire: Concealment Allegations

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.