LPL Financial LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

LPL Financial LLC raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 47.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 160,522 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 51,782 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC owned approximately 0.16% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $20,398,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. D.A. Davidson & CO. purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth $220,000. Freedom Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter worth $233,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 76.1% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 40,058 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,423,000 after purchasing an additional 17,305 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,640,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter valued at about $296,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 3.3 %

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $152.64 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $14.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.60, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1 year low of $61.61 and a 1 year high of $178.99. The company’s fifty day moving average is $152.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.07.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.54, for a total value of $488,379.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 143,669 shares in the company, valued at $24,070,304.26. This trade represents a 1.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 1,065 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.97, for a total value of $143,743.05. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 9,830 shares in the company, valued at $1,326,755.10. The trade was a 9.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 94,784 shares of company stock valued at $13,231,786. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Roth Mkm raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Northcoast Research raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $167.00.

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.