Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. Takes $569,000 Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 11,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $569,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 80.3% in the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 1,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on SFM shares. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $56.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $30.00 to $70.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $51.14.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Brandon F. Lombardi sold 22,799 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.98, for a total value of $1,367,484.02. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $499,513.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 479 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.47, for a total value of $29,923.13. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 2,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $186,597.89. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Brandon F. Lombardi sold 22,799 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.98, for a total transaction of $1,367,484.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,328 shares in the company, valued at $499,513.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 160,852 shares of company stock valued at $10,032,745 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

SFM opened at $63.10 on Friday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.12 and a 52 week high of $65.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.39 billion, a PE ratio of 25.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $60.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $51.01.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.04. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 3.79% and a return on equity of 26.71%. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.42 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

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.