Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Has $6.12 Million Stock Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 19.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,087 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,502 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $6,119,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 92.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 192 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Contravisory Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 100.9% in the 1st quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 454 shares of the company's stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 228 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. 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. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Monday. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $173.00 price target on the stock. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $168.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider John Scott Neal sold 17,721 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 owned 14,178 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,281,098.42. This trade represents a 55.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Nicholas Konat sold 20,270 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.50, for a total value of $3,395,225.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 55,675 shares in the company, valued at $9,325,562.50. The trade was a 26.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 74,035 shares of company stock worth $12,213,719 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of SFM opened at $166.21 on Tuesday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $81.93 and a 52 week 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 market capitalization of $16.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.35, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.77. The business's fifty day moving average price is $164.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $157.10.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 34.20% and a net margin of 5.53%. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.12 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

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.

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