Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Buys 3,788 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 16.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,238 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,788 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $3,334,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter worth approximately $143,113,000. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 94.9% in the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,298,768 shares of the company's stock worth $165,034,000 after acquiring an additional 632,523 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at $64,117,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at $53,946,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,582,896 shares of the company's stock valued at $201,139,000 after purchasing an additional 294,553 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 890 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total transaction of $122,303.80. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 9,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,284,464.74. This represents a 8.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 289 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.43, for a total transaction of $40,295.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 6,229 shares in the company, valued at $868,509.47. This trade represents a 4.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 129,277 shares of company stock valued at $18,912,055 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SFM has been the subject of several recent research reports. 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 note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Northcoast Research upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.79.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of SFM stock traded up $4.97 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $169.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,905,296 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,442,865. The stock has a market cap of $16.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.02, a PEG 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 52-week low of $74.15 and a 52-week high of $178.99. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $159.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $151.19.

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