Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Shares Bought by Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ

Key Points

• Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 30%, owning 29,199 shares valued at approximately $4.46 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Sprouts Farmers Market reported strong quarterly earnings of $1.81 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations and demonstrating a 18.7% increase in revenue compared to the same quarter last year.
• Insider selling occurred, with Director Douglas Gregory Rauch and CEO Jack Sinclair selling shares worth over $826,000 combined, reducing their ownership of the company.

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 30.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 29,199 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 6,739 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $4,456,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 92.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 192 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 111.3% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 319 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $172.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $196.00 to $182.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, July 21st. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $173.00 target price for the company. Ten research 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 has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $167.27.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 0.7%

Sprouts Farmers Market stock traded up $1.12 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $158.06. 2,043,860 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,726,515. The company has a market cap of $15.47 billion, a PE ratio of 35.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $164.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $158.12. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $91.36 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.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.12. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.53% and a return on equity of 34.20%. As a group, analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.16, for a total transaction of $167,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,598 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,437,241.68. This represents a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Terri F. Graham sold 1,278 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $230,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 32,910 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,923,800. The trade was a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 74,035 shares of company stock valued at $12,213,719. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.