Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. Lowers Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. cut its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 46.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 175,325 shares of the company's stock after selling 149,520 shares during the quarter. Sprouts Farmers Market comprises approximately 3.2% of Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. owned 0.18% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $26,762,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,033.4% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,476,351 shares of the company's stock worth $225,350,000 after buying an additional 1,346,097 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter worth $143,113,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth $64,117,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter valued at $53,946,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 18,234.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 358,246 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,683,000 after purchasing an additional 356,292 shares during the period.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 677 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.18, for a total value of $118,596.86. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,552 shares in the company, valued at $972,599.36. The trade was a 10.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.36, for a total transaction of $435,384.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 189,315 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,276,088.40. This trade represents a 1.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 72,905 shares of company stock worth $11,963,931 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on 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 raised their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Northcoast Research upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $167.79.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of SFM traded down $4.18 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $160.44. 1,720,461 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,487,538. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $165.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $153.68. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.34 and a 12-month high of $182.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.95. The company has a market cap of $15.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.81.

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

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.