SG Americas Securities LLC Purchases 5,799 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 271.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,936 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,799 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $1,211,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SFM. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 55.0% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 20,722 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,633,000 after purchasing an additional 7,355 shares during the period. Unified Investment Management bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,161,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 181,364 shares of the company's stock worth $23,046,000 after buying an additional 37,637 shares in the last quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 145.8% in the fourth quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 20,342 shares of the company's stock worth $2,585,000 after buying an additional 12,067 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,618,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of SFM stock opened at $160.55 on Tuesday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a one year low of $76.31 and a one year high of $182.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $164.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $153.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.81.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.27. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.12 earnings per share. Sprouts Farmers Market's revenue for the quarter was up 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Northcoast Research raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Evercore ISI upped their target price 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $167.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, insider John Scott Neal sold 17,721 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.89, for a total value of $2,851,131.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,178 shares in the company, valued at $2,281,098.42. This trade represents a 55.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Nicholas Konat sold 20,270 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.50, for a total transaction of $3,395,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 55,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,325,562.50. This trade represents a 26.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 82,852 shares of company stock valued at $13,219,431 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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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