Ballentine Partners LLC Makes New Investment in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Ballentine Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 3,277 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $274,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 223.5% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the second quarter worth $29,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the second quarter worth about $63,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on SFM shares. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $58.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $63.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $84.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $40.00 to $102.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $95.25.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.52, for a total value of $48,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 27,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,651,373.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.52, for a total value of $48,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 27,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,651,373.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,718 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.07, for a total transaction of $440,686.26. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 256,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,785,102.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 128,939 shares of company stock worth $12,571,295. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $100.70 on Thursday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $39.24 and a 12-month high of $104.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.12 billion, a PE ratio of 34.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $92.72 and its 200-day moving average is $78.36.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 29th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.16. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 27.53% and a net margin of 4.52%. The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.71 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company Profile

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the retailing of fresh, natural, and organic food products under the Sprouts brand in the United States. It offers perishable product categories, including fresh produce, meat and meat alternatives, seafood, deli, bakery, floral, and dairy and dairy alternatives; and non-perishable product categories, such as grocery, vitamins and supplements, bulk items, frozen foods, beer and wine, and natural health and body care.