Manatuck Hill Partners LLC Makes New Investment in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Manatuck Hill Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $203,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at $51,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $168.77.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 1.3 %

SFM stock traded up $2.27 during trading on Friday, hitting $173.93. The company had a trading volume of 2,009,350 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,416,032. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $151.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $146.75. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.46 and a 12 month high of $178.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a market cap of $17.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.26, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.12 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 445 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total transaction of $61,151.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 4,436 shares of the company's stock, valued at $609,595.12. The trade was a 9.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.54, for a total value of $488,379.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 143,669 shares in the company, valued at $24,070,304.26. The trade was a 1.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 100,736 shares of company stock worth $14,253,272 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company 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.