9,000 Shares in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Purchased by J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 9,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,374,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter worth $831,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 142,041 shares of the company's stock worth $18,049,000 after buying an additional 6,850 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter worth $2,605,000. LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 47.6% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 160,522 shares of the company's stock worth $20,398,000 after buying an additional 51,782 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter worth $219,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SFM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, July 21st. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $173.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $173.00 price target (up previously from $172.00) on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $168.20.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 4,045 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.94, for a total transaction of $659,092.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 174,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,472,135.60. The trade was a 2.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Nicholas Konat sold 20,270 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.50, for a total transaction of $3,395,225.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 55,675 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,325,562.50. This represents a 26.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 74,035 shares of company stock valued at $12,213,719. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 2.0%

SFM stock traded down $3.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $161.07. 1,063,464 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,048,378. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.95. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a one year low of $84.24 and a one year high of $182.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.76 billion, a PE ratio of 36.20, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $164.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $157.85.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.20 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.53% and a return on equity of 34.20%. The business's revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS 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.