Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $3.42 Million Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has reduced its stock holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. by 14.6%, now owning 22,407 shares valued at approximately $3.42 million.
• Several large investors, including Assenagon Asset Management and GAMMA Investing, significantly increased their stakes in Sprouts Farmers Market during the first quarter, showcasing strong interest in the company.
• Analysts have varied opinions on Sprouts Farmers Market, with target prices updated upward by Wells Fargo, Barclays, and Jefferies, some setting targets as high as $190, while maintaining an average rating of "Moderate Buy."

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 14.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,407 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,831 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $3,420,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in SFM. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 7,201 shares of the company's stock worth $1,099,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.3% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,899 shares of the company's stock worth $748,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JT Stratford LLC increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. JT Stratford LLC now owns 11,091 shares of the company's stock worth $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Joseph D. O'leary sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.40, for a total transaction of $318,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 17,931 shares in the company, valued at $2,858,201.40. This represents a 10.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 4,054 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.45, for a total transaction of $650,464.30. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 174,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,037,033. This trade represents a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 65,743 shares of company stock valued at $10,769,633. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of SFM stock traded down $0.65 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $153.16. 133,347 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,738,643. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $163.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $158.67. The stock has a market cap of $14.97 billion, a PE ratio of 31.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.78. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $93.42 and a 12 month high of $182.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.77% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on SFM shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $173.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Roth Capital set a $155.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.87.

About Sprouts Farmers Market

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.