Polianta Ltd Takes $1.33 Million Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Polianta Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 8,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,327,000. Sprouts Farmers Market accounts for 0.6% of Polianta Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of SFM. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,604,819 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,347,554,000 after acquiring an additional 56,652 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 4,464,644 shares of the company's stock valued at $567,322,000 after buying an additional 24,000 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,843,320 shares of the company's stock valued at $234,231,000 after buying an additional 168,605 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 22.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,582,896 shares of the company's stock worth $201,139,000 after acquiring an additional 294,553 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,033.4% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,476,351 shares of the company's stock worth $225,350,000 after purchasing an additional 1,346,097 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 445 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total transaction of $61,151.90. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 4,436 shares in the company, valued at approximately $609,595.12. The trade was a 9.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 890 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total transaction of $122,303.80. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 9,347 shares in the company, valued at $1,284,464.74. This trade represents a 8.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 147,675 shares of company stock worth $22,127,407. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

NASDAQ SFM traded up $0.88 on Friday, hitting $157.92. 1,482,568 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,464,308. The stock has a market cap of $15.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $74.80 and a 52 week high of $182.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $164.15 and a 200-day moving average of $153.00.

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 the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.12 EPS. Analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SFM has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.79.

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.