Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Trims Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. decreased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 82.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 162,318 shares of the company's stock after selling 759,342 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. owned about 0.16% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $20,626,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in SFM. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SFM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets increased 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 report on Friday, February 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a report on Monday, March 17th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.79.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.80, for a total transaction of $724,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 28,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,137,080.80. The trade was a 14.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 1,725 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.01, for a total transaction of $301,892.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,895 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,181,863.95. The trade was a 6.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 104,141 shares of company stock valued at $14,851,836 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 2.9%

Sprouts Farmers Market stock traded down $4.63 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $157.14. The stock had a trading volume of 1,390,124 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,430,570. The stock has a market cap of $15.38 billion, a PE ratio of 41.88, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $74.15 and a 52 week high of $178.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $153.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $148.43.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.20 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. The company's revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.12 EPS. Analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.