GAMMA Investing LLC Has $248,000 Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,954 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 240 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $248,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 12.2% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 15,759 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,318,000 after acquiring an additional 1,712 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.7% during the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 21,532 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,801,000 after purchasing an additional 557 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the second quarter valued at approximately $236,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 130.0% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 98,327 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,226,000 after purchasing an additional 55,567 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 28,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,371,000 after buying an additional 424 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 30,000 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.24, for a total transaction of $4,477,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 163,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,454,764.88. This trade represents a 15.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Joseph L. Hurley sold 4,956 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.66, for a total transaction of $657,462.96. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,483,669.44. This represents a 30.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 59,855 shares of company stock valued at $8,475,575 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America upped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $107.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $118.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 1.3 %

NASDAQ SFM opened at $138.94 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.63. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.60 and a 52 week high of $155.64. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $140.67 and a 200-day moving average of $113.85.

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

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.