Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. Sells 50,650 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 25.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 147,147 shares of the company's stock after selling 50,650 shares during the period. Sprouts Farmers Market comprises approximately 1.0% of Harbor Capital Advisors Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. owned 0.15% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $22,461,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFM. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 55.0% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 20,722 shares of the company's stock worth $2,633,000 after buying an additional 7,355 shares during the period. Unified Investment Management purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth about $1,161,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 37,637 shares during the period. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 145.8% in the 4th quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 20,342 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,585,000 after purchasing an additional 12,067 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,618,000.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 49,898 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total transaction of $6,856,983.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 189,449 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,034,081.58. This represents a 20.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 229 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.43, for a total value of $31,929.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,226 shares in the company, valued at $1,425,811.18. This trade represents a 2.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 145,825 shares of company stock valued at $21,813,320. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of SFM stock traded down $3.86 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $161.88. 1,793,803 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,461,590. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $163.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $152.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $74.15 and a 12-month high of $182.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.81.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.12 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on SFM shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Northcoast Research raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average 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.