World Investment Advisors Takes Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

World Investment Advisors bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $527,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% during 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 lifted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 111.3% during 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. Toronto Dominion Bank acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth $63,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 2,290.5% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 502 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 481 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on SFM shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Roth Capital set a $155.00 target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group upped 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, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.79.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of SFM traded up $0.98 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $159.70. The stock had a trading volume of 832,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,566,933. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $81.41 and a 52 week high of $182.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $164.31 and a 200 day moving average of $155.44. The company has a market cap of $15.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.77.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 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 34.20% and a net margin of 5.53%. The company's revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.12 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, insider John Scott Neal sold 17,721 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 14,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,281,098.42. This represents a 55.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 4,054 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.45, for a total value of $650,464.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 174,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,037,033. This trade represents a 2.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 74,035 shares of company stock worth $12,213,719. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.