Anderson Hoagland & Co. Makes New Investment in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Anderson Hoagland & Co. acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 19,818 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,866,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in SFM. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. GeoWealth Management LLC raised 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 111.3% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 319 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter worth about $51,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on SFM. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $167.79.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 677 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.18, for a total transaction of $118,596.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,552 shares in the company, valued at $972,599.36. This trade represents a 10.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 49,898 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total transaction of $6,856,983.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 189,449 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,034,081.58. This represents a 20.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 149,547 shares of company stock worth $22,307,280. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of SFM traded down $4.32 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $175.21. 1,875,078 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,455,424. The business's 50-day moving average price is $161.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $151.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. 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 12 month low of $74.15 and a 12 month high of $181.92.

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

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.