Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Shares Sold by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund reduced its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,939 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,853 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $2,018,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 614.5% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,039,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,359,000 after purchasing an additional 2,614,241 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth approximately $23,992,000. California Public Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter worth approximately $20,524,000. Reinhart Partners LLC. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 90.2% in the fourth quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 741,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,660,000 after buying an additional 351,446 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 817,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,983,000 after acquiring an additional 143,100 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SFM. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $56.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Monday, April 29th. 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 research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Evercore ISI reduced 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 research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $48.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $53.50.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 0.1 %

SFM stock opened at $74.66 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $64.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.62. The company has a market cap of $7.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.74, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.50. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.12 and a 12-month high of $75.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.85 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 26.77%. Sprouts Farmers Market’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.98 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Brandon F. Lombardi sold 22,799 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now owns 8,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $499,513.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Brandon F. Lombardi sold 22,799 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.98, for a total value of $1,367,484.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,328 shares in the company, valued at approximately $499,513.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 31,710 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.03, for a total value of $1,998,681.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 274,981 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,332,052.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 198,348 shares of company stock valued at $12,818,196 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.