Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Boosts Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 1,033.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,476,351 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,346,097 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 1.51% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $225,350,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SFM. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth approximately $143,113,000. Congress Asset Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 94.9% in the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,298,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $165,034,000 after purchasing an additional 632,523 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at $64,117,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter valued at about $53,946,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 18,234.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 358,246 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,683,000 after purchasing an additional 356,292 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SFM. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Roth Capital set a $155.00 target price on Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research 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. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Roth Mkm increased their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Nine 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 stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $167.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 677 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.18, for a total value of $118,596.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at $972,599.36. The trade was a 10.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Terri F. Graham sold 1,278 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $230,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 32,910 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,923,800. This trade represents a 3.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 145,825 shares of company stock valued at $21,813,320 over the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 2.5%

NASDAQ:SFM traded down $4.03 on Thursday, hitting $155.87. The stock had a trading volume of 807,353 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,456,169. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $163.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $152.91. The stock has a market cap of $15.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.45, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1-year low of $74.15 and a 1-year high of $182.00.

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