Navellier & Associates Inc. Cuts Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Navellier & Associates Inc. decreased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 2.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 59,594 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,738 shares during the quarter. Sprouts Farmers Market makes up 1.3% of Navellier & Associates Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Navellier & Associates Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $9,096,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SFM. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position 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 valued at $23,046,000 after acquiring an additional 37,637 shares during the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter worth approximately $270,000. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 145.8% in the 4th quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 20,342 shares of the company's stock worth $2,585,000 after purchasing an additional 12,067 shares during the period. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,618,000. Finally, Clark Capital Management Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.1% in the 4th quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 100,165 shares of the company's stock worth $12,728,000 after buying an additional 24,364 shares during the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ SFM traded down $3.33 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $161.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,063,464 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,048,378. The business's 50 day moving average is $164.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $157.57. The firm has a market cap of $15.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.77. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $84.24 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.

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

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 4,045 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.94, for a total transaction of $659,092.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 174,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,472,135.60. This trade represents a 2.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.38, for a total value of $328,760.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 13,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,180,171.94. The trade was a 13.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 74,035 shares of company stock worth $12,213,719. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on SFM. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays began coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Monday. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $173.00 price target for the company. Roth Capital set a $155.00 price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $172.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock 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 assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $168.20.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company 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.