Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Cuts Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 23,523 shares of the company’s stock after selling 754 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $2,597,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in SFM. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 223.5% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% during 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.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 3.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM opened at $153.31 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $123.41 and a 200 day moving average of $100.09. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.27 and a 52-week high of $153.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.33 billion, a PE ratio of 43.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.54.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.88 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 28.24% and a net margin of 4.73%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.65 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on SFM. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com cut shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Roth Mkm boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $58.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $115.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 11,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.84, for a total value of $1,527,660.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 33,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,459,571.64. This trade represents a 25.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider John Scott Neal sold 6,535 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.29, for a total value of $668,465.15. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,462,030.97. The trade was a 31.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 43,051 shares of company stock worth $5,133,932 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market 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.