Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Shares Sold by Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada decreased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 13.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 111,824 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,003 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned 0.11% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $14,209,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of SFM. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth $51,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SFM. Roth Mkm upped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Bank of America upped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $167.79.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.08, for a total transaction of $481,208.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 183,485 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,289,703.80. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 445 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 129,277 shares of company stock valued at $18,912,055 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

SFM traded up $4.97 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $169.27. 1,905,296 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,442,865. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $159.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $151.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. 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 1-year low of $74.15 and a 1-year high of $178.99.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.12 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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.