37,099 Shares in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Acquired by Moody Aldrich Partners LLC

Moody Aldrich Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 37,099 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,663,000. Sprouts Farmers Market comprises 1.2% of Moody Aldrich Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 92.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 192 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 111.3% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 319 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFM traded up $2.70 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $162.60. The company had a trading volume of 1,053,884 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,564,298. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.95. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a one year low of $79.34 and a one year high of $182.00. The firm has a market cap of $15.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.54, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.77. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $165.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $154.61.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 34.20% and a net margin of 5.53%. Sprouts Farmers Market's revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.12 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Roth Capital set a $155.00 price target on Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $167.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Terri F. Graham sold 1,278 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $230,040.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 32,910 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,923,800. This trade represents a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 1,000 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.16, for a total value of $167,160.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,598 shares in the company, valued at $1,437,241.68. The trade was a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 72,905 shares of company stock valued at $11,990,011 over the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.