Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Position Boosted by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 11.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 65,462 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,644 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $9,992,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of SFM. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 154.5% during the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,028 shares of the company's stock worth $157,000 after acquiring an additional 624 shares in the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter worth approximately $270,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 12.3% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,645 shares of the company's stock worth $556,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 40.3% during the 1st quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 31,653 shares of the company's stock worth $4,832,000 after acquiring an additional 9,094 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter worth approximately $167,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM traded down $3.33 during trading on Friday, hitting $161.07. 1,063,464 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,048,378. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.20, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.51. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $84.24 and a 12-month high of $182.00. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $164.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $157.57.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Monday. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $173.00 price target on the stock. 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. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $172.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target 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. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $168.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider John Scott Neal sold 17,721 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.89, for a total transaction of $2,851,131.69. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 14,178 shares in the company, valued at $2,281,098.42. This represents a 55.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Kim Coffin sold 3,643 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.27, for a total transaction of $634,865.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,886 shares in the company, valued at $2,071,373.22. The trade was a 23.46% 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 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.