Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Purchases 6,550 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 33.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 26,073 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,550 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.'s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $3,980,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SFM. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its position 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. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFM traded up $1.06 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $163.35. 655,295 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,560,848. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.75, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.77. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a one year low of $79.34 and a one year 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $165.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $154.75.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 34.20% and a net margin of 5.53%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.12 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on SFM shares. Roth Capital set a $155.00 price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $167.79.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

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 stock was sold at an average price of $160.89, for a total transaction of $2,851,131.69. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 14,178 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,281,098.42. This trade represents a 55.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 2,247 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.00, for a total value of $388,731.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 7,979 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,380,367. This represents a 21.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 72,905 shares of company stock valued at $11,990,011 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.