Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Shares Sold by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers decreased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 6.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 100,399 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,304 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers owned about 0.10% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $15,325,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.2% during the first quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 7,201 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,099,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 92.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 192 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 30,664 shares of the company's stock worth $3,896,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.1% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,899 shares of the company's stock worth $748,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JT Stratford LLC increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. JT Stratford LLC now owns 11,091 shares of the company's stock worth $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of SFM stock traded up $1.12 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $158.06. 2,043,860 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,726,515. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $91.36 and a 12-month high of $182.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company's 50-day moving average price is $164.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $158.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.77.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.12. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.53% and a return on equity of 34.20%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, SVP Kim Coffin sold 3,643 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.27, for a total transaction of $634,865.61. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,071,373.22. This represents a 23.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider John Scott Neal sold 17,721 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.89, for a total transaction of $2,851,131.69. Following the transaction, the insider owned 14,178 shares in the company, valued at $2,281,098.42. The trade was a 55.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 74,035 shares of company stock worth $12,213,719 over the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on SFM shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays started coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $173.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Roth Capital set a $155.00 target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $172.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Ten equities 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, Sprouts Farmers Market has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $167.27.

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.