Hancock Whitney Corp Cuts Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Hancock Whitney Corp decreased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 185,750 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,076 shares during the quarter. Sprouts Farmers Market accounts for about 0.7% of Hancock Whitney Corp's holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Hancock Whitney Corp owned 0.19% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $23,603,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFM. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 128.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Rule One Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth approximately $14,022,000. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $13,348,000. Sfmg LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter valued at $234,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter valued at $155,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on SFM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a report on Monday, March 17th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.54, for a total transaction of $488,379.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 143,669 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,070,304.26. This represents a 1.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.34, for a total value of $302,680.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,007,222.42. This represents a 13.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 96,764 shares of company stock worth $13,562,649. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

SFM stock traded up $1.67 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $171.43. 510,363 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,569,095. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $149.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $145.19. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52-week low of $64.02 and a 52-week high of $178.99. The company has a market cap of $16.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.61, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.96 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. As a group, analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.