Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 5,179 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 10.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,678 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,179 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.05% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $8,193,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SFM. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 56.7% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 259,108 shares of the company's stock worth $32,925,000 after purchasing an additional 93,734 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 26.2% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 181,364 shares of the company's stock worth $23,046,000 after purchasing an additional 37,637 shares in the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth approximately $794,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 39.0% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 169,614 shares of the company's stock worth $21,553,000 after acquiring an additional 47,571 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 2,591 shares of the company's stock worth $329,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on SFM shares. Wall Street Zen raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Roth Capital set a $155.00 target price on Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays raised Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $173.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.53.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.16, for a total transaction of $167,160.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,598 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,437,241.68. This represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 4,045 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.94, for a total value of $659,092.30. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 174,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,472,135.60. This trade represents a 2.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 65,743 shares of company stock worth $10,769,633 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFM opened at $153.81 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $163.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $158.67. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a one year low of $91.36 and a one year high of $182.00. The firm has a market cap of $15.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.78.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.77%. Sprouts Farmers Market's quarterly revenue was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate 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.

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