National Bank of Canada FI Boosts Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 2,831.9% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 5,424 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,239 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $599,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 223.5% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 442 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SFM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $107.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Melius Research initiated coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $105.00 target price for the company. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $118.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SFM opened at $147.79 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.74 and a fifty-two week high of $155.64. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $135.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $107.17. The firm has a market cap of $14.78 billion, a PE ratio of 42.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.58.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $24,454,764.88. The trade was a 15.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 350 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total value of $52,538.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,991 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,700,629.01. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 59,855 shares of company stock valued at $8,323,697 in the last 90 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.