Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Shares Bought by LPL Financial LLC

LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 47.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 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’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $20,398,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SFM. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 49,898 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total value of $6,856,983.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 189,449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,034,081.58. This represents a 20.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 445 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total value of $61,151.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 4,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $609,595.12. This trade represents a 9.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 94,784 shares of company stock valued at $13,231,786 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

SFM stock opened at $152.64 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $14.96 billion, a PE ratio of 40.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $152.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.07. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.61 and a 12-month high of $178.99.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a report on Monday, March 17th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $167.00.

About Sprouts Farmers Market

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.