Teacher Retirement System of Texas Sells 60,384 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas decreased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 63.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 35,469 shares of the company's stock after selling 60,384 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $5,414,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 55.0% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 20,722 shares of the company's stock worth $2,633,000 after purchasing an additional 7,355 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 26.2% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 181,364 shares of the company's stock worth $23,046,000 after acquiring an additional 37,637 shares during the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter worth $270,000. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 145.8% during the 4th quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 20,342 shares of the company's stock worth $2,585,000 after acquiring an additional 12,067 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth $2,618,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of SFM traded up $1.90 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $164.19. 1,511,992 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,564,089. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $165.46 and a 200-day moving average of $154.75. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.34 and a 52 week high of $182.00. The stock has a market cap of $16.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.90, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.77. 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 data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.27. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.53% and a return on equity of 34.20%. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.12 EPS. The business's revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 4,054 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.45, for a total value of $650,464.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 174,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,037,033. This trade represents a 2.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 2,247 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.00, for a total transaction of $388,731.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 7,979 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,380,367. The trade was a 21.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 72,905 shares of company stock worth $11,990,011. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SFM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Roth Capital set a $155.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the stock a "neutral" 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 research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.79.

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.