GSA Capital Partners LLP Cuts Stock Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

GSA Capital Partners LLP decreased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 72.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,193 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,239 shares during the quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $463,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 223.5% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the second quarter worth about $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter worth about $38,000. Quarry LP grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter worth about $60,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $142.75 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $120.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.39 and a fifty-two week high of $148.56. The company has a market capitalization of $14.27 billion, a PE ratio of 41.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.54.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.14. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 28.24%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.65 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 921 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.60, for a total transaction of $104,625.60. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 25,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,868,513.60. This trade represents a 3.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Kristen E. Blum sold 2,000 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $200,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,627 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,162,700. The trade was a 3.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 50,148 shares of company stock valued at $5,853,826. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on SFM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $63.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $58.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $115.40.

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.