Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 16.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,238 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,788 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $3,334,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SFM. Gen Wealth Partners Inc lifted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 35.5% during the 4th quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc now owns 1,908 shares of the company's stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 23.7% in the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 17,353 shares of the company's stock worth $2,205,000 after purchasing an additional 3,325 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 237.4% during the fourth quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 57,072 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,252,000 after buying an additional 40,159 shares during the last quarter. Eisler Capital Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at about $381,000. Finally, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 57.2% in the 4th quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 63,499 shares of the company's stock worth $8,069,000 after buying an additional 23,102 shares during the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock traded up $7.40 on Friday, reaching $168.68. 1,480,546 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,445,108. 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 twelve month low of $74.15 and a twelve month high of $178.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.86, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $155.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $149.12.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.27. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.12 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SFM. Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $167.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Hari K. Avula sold 1,500 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.28, for a total transaction of $241,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,650,216.96. This trade represents a 12.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph D. O'leary sold 2,000 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.40, for a total value of $318,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,931 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,858,201.40. This represents a 10.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 107,641 shares of company stock valued at $15,412,556 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.