Matisse Capital Boosts Stock Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Matisse Capital raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 23.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,668 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,900 shares during the quarter. Sprouts Farmers Market comprises 1.7% of Matisse Capital's holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position. Matisse Capital's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $3,155,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 223.3% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,427 shares of the company's stock worth $1,833,000 after purchasing an additional 9,965 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,168,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,891 shares of the company's stock worth $749,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 97.7% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 14,890 shares of the company's stock worth $1,892,000 after purchasing an additional 7,357 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 1.1%

NASDAQ SFM traded up $1.69 on Friday, hitting $162.13. 16,915,288 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,553,432. The company has a market cap of $15.87 billion, a PE ratio of 36.43, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $165.66 and a 200-day moving average of $153.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.34 and a 12 month high of $182.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.53% and a return on equity of 34.20%. The business's revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.12 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 2,247 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.00, for a total value of $388,731.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,979 shares in the company, valued at $1,380,367. This trade represents a 21.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Nicholas Konat sold 20,270 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.50, for a total value of $3,395,225.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 72,905 shares of company stock valued at $11,963,931. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on SFM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Roth Capital set a $155.00 price target on Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Northcoast Research upgraded 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. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of 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. Nine equities 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, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.79.

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.