Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Shares Acquired by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 55.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,722 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,355 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $2,633,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 94.9% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,298,768 shares of the company’s stock valued at $165,034,000 after purchasing an additional 632,523 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $64,117,000. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $18,259,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $19,926,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,349,694 shares of the company’s stock valued at $149,020,000 after purchasing an additional 156,175 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 229 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.43, for a total value of $31,929.47. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,425,811.18. This represents a 2.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total transaction of $407,201.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 149,499 shares in the company, valued at $20,741,491.26. The trade was a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 83,501 shares of company stock valued at $11,616,851. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of SFM opened at $142.39 on Friday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52-week low of $61.61 and a 52-week high of $178.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $150.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.50. The stock has a market cap of $14.04 billion, a PE ratio of 37.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.96 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. Research analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $162.92.

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.