vs

Side-by-side financial comparison of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NGVC) and NOVANTA INC (NOVT). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($335.6M vs $258.3M, roughly 1.3× NOVANTA INC). NOVANTA INC runs the higher net margin — 6.8% vs 3.4%, a 3.4% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, NOVANTA INC posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (8.5% vs 1.6%). Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($11.6M vs $5.1M). Over the past eight quarters, NOVANTA INC's revenue compounded faster (5.8% CAGR vs 4.4%).

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. is a U.S.-based specialty retail chain that offers certified organic groceries, dietary supplements, natural personal care items, and eco-friendly household products. It serves health-conscious consumers across multiple U.S. states, following strict quality standards that exclude artificial preservatives, colors, flavors and harmful additives.

Novanta Inc is a global technology supplier delivering high-precision photonics, motion control, and machine vision solutions. It serves core segments including medical equipment manufacturing, advanced industrial automation, robotics, and life sciences, helping customers boost product performance and drive innovation worldwide.

NGVC vs NOVT — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
NGVC
NGVC
1.3× larger
NGVC
$335.6M
$258.3M
NOVT
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
NOVT
NOVT
+6.9% gap
NOVT
8.5%
1.6%
NGVC
Higher net margin
NOVT
NOVT
3.4% more per $
NOVT
6.8%
3.4%
NGVC
More free cash flow
NGVC
NGVC
$6.4M more FCF
NGVC
$11.6M
$5.1M
NOVT
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
NOVT
NOVT
Annualised
NOVT
5.8%
4.4%
NGVC

Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Revenue
$335.6M
$258.3M
Net Profit
$11.3M
$17.5M
Gross Margin
29.5%
43.8%
Operating Margin
4.4%
9.6%
Net Margin
3.4%
6.8%
Revenue YoY
1.6%
8.5%
Net Profit YoY
14.0%
6.1%
EPS (diluted)
$0.49
$0.46

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Q4 25
$335.6M
$258.3M
Q3 25
$336.1M
$247.8M
Q2 25
$328.7M
$241.0M
Q1 25
$335.8M
$233.4M
Q4 24
$330.2M
$238.1M
Q3 24
$322.7M
$244.4M
Q2 24
$309.1M
$235.9M
Q1 24
$308.1M
$230.9M
Net Profit
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Q4 25
$11.3M
$17.5M
Q3 25
$11.8M
$10.7M
Q2 25
$11.6M
$4.5M
Q1 25
$13.1M
$21.2M
Q4 24
$9.9M
$16.5M
Q3 24
$9.0M
$19.2M
Q2 24
$9.2M
$13.8M
Q1 24
$8.0M
$14.7M
Gross Margin
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Q4 25
29.5%
43.8%
Q3 25
29.5%
44.8%
Q2 25
29.9%
44.3%
Q1 25
30.3%
44.7%
Q4 24
29.9%
45.5%
Q3 24
29.6%
44.7%
Q2 24
29.2%
44.0%
Q1 24
29.3%
43.5%
Operating Margin
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Q4 25
4.4%
9.6%
Q3 25
4.6%
8.8%
Q2 25
4.7%
6.2%
Q1 25
5.2%
13.9%
Q4 24
4.0%
11.2%
Q3 24
3.7%
13.3%
Q2 24
4.2%
10.9%
Q1 24
3.7%
11.1%
Net Margin
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Q4 25
3.4%
6.8%
Q3 25
3.5%
4.3%
Q2 25
3.5%
1.9%
Q1 25
3.9%
9.1%
Q4 24
3.0%
6.9%
Q3 24
2.8%
7.9%
Q2 24
3.0%
5.8%
Q1 24
2.6%
6.4%
EPS (diluted)
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Q4 25
$0.49
$0.46
Q3 25
$0.51
$0.30
Q2 25
$0.50
$0.12
Q1 25
$0.56
$0.59
Q4 24
$0.43
$0.45
Q3 24
$0.38
$0.53
Q2 24
$0.40
$0.38
Q1 24
$0.35
$0.41

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$23.2M
$380.9M
Total DebtLower is stronger
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$220.0M
$1.3B
Total Assets
$668.6M
$1.8B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Q4 25
$23.2M
$380.9M
Q3 25
$17.1M
$89.2M
Q2 25
$13.2M
$109.9M
Q1 25
$21.2M
$106.0M
Q4 24
$6.3M
$114.0M
Q3 24
$8.9M
$92.7M
Q2 24
$13.9M
$98.5M
Q1 24
$11.0M
$93.5M
Stockholders' Equity
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Q4 25
$220.0M
$1.3B
Q3 25
$212.4M
$801.5M
Q2 25
$202.5M
$801.4M
Q1 25
$193.0M
$769.8M
Q4 24
$181.9M
$745.7M
Q3 24
$174.3M
$742.2M
Q2 24
$167.8M
$702.0M
Q1 24
$160.0M
$681.7M
Total Assets
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Q4 25
$668.6M
$1.8B
Q3 25
$670.5M
$1.5B
Q2 25
$659.0M
$1.5B
Q1 25
$664.6M
$1.4B
Q4 24
$648.9M
$1.4B
Q3 24
$655.5M
$1.4B
Q2 24
$654.4M
$1.4B
Q1 24
$656.6M
$1.4B

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$21.1M
$8.8M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$11.6M
$5.1M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
3.4%
2.0%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
2.9%
1.4%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
1.86×
0.50×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$42.6M
$48.4M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Q4 25
$21.1M
$8.8M
Q3 25
$15.6M
$8.5M
Q2 25
$2.9M
$15.1M
Q1 25
$34.1M
$31.7M
Q4 24
$2.7M
$61.6M
Q3 24
$24.5M
$23.0M
Q2 24
$12.4M
$41.1M
Q1 24
$20.2M
$32.8M
Free Cash Flow
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Q4 25
$11.6M
$5.1M
Q3 25
$7.5M
$4.2M
Q2 25
$-4.2M
$11.7M
Q1 25
$27.6M
$27.4M
Q4 24
$-6.9M
$59.3M
Q3 24
$18.0M
$19.5M
Q2 24
$3.6M
$36.2M
Q1 24
$9.8M
$26.4M
FCF Margin
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Q4 25
3.4%
2.0%
Q3 25
2.2%
1.7%
Q2 25
-1.3%
4.8%
Q1 25
8.2%
11.7%
Q4 24
-2.1%
24.9%
Q3 24
5.6%
8.0%
Q2 24
1.2%
15.3%
Q1 24
3.2%
11.4%
Capex Intensity
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Q4 25
2.9%
1.4%
Q3 25
2.4%
1.7%
Q2 25
2.2%
1.4%
Q1 25
1.9%
1.8%
Q4 24
2.9%
0.9%
Q3 24
2.0%
1.5%
Q2 24
2.9%
2.1%
Q1 24
3.4%
2.8%
Cash Conversion
NGVC
NGVC
NOVT
NOVT
Q4 25
1.86×
0.50×
Q3 25
1.32×
0.80×
Q2 25
0.25×
3.35×
Q1 25
2.60×
1.49×
Q4 24
0.27×
3.74×
Q3 24
2.72×
1.20×
Q2 24
1.35×
2.99×
Q1 24
2.54×
2.24×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

NGVC
NGVC

Grocery$243.8M73%
Dietary Supplements$60.7M18%
Manufactured Product Other$31.0M9%

NOVT
NOVT

Segment breakdown not available.

Related Comparisons