Gotham Asset Management LLC Boosts Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Gotham Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 23.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 17,353 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,325 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $2,205,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in SFM. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 128.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 199,035 shares of the company's stock worth $21,975,000 after acquiring an additional 111,838 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 22.6% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 618 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 82.2% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,627 shares of the company's stock worth $588,000 after purchasing an additional 2,087 shares during the period. Burney Co. grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Burney Co. now owns 15,823 shares of the company's stock worth $2,011,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter worth about $318,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted 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. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $167.79.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of SFM stock traded down $2.64 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $165.38. 178,459 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,441,547. The company's 50-day moving average price is $157.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $150.21. The company has a market cap of $16.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $74.15 and a 12 month high of $178.99.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 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 analyst estimates of $2.20 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. Sprouts Farmers Market's quarterly revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.12 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 677 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.18, for a total value of $118,596.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at $972,599.36. The trade was a 10.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.25, for a total transaction of $140,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,598 shares in the company, valued at $1,486,369.50. This trade represents a 8.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 126,362 shares of company stock worth $18,430,847. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.