Hennessy Advisors Inc. Takes $23.99 Million Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 498,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,992,000. Sprouts Farmers Market comprises about 1.8% of Hennessy Advisors Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Hennessy Advisors Inc. owned 0.49% of Sprouts Farmers Market at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter worth $1,337,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 13,150.0% during the 2nd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,060 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,052 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 89.6% during the 3rd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 36,005 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 17,012 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,880,000. Finally, Reinhart Partners LLC. lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 90.2% during the 4th quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 741,211 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,660,000 after acquiring an additional 351,446 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

NASDAQ SFM traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $64.48. 921,141 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,344,816. The business's fifty day moving average price is $57.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.49. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.12 and a 52 week high of $65.53.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 3.79% and a return on equity of 26.71%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.42 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, COO Nicholas Konat sold 31,846 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.13, for a total value of $1,978,591.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 82,495 shares in the company, valued at $5,125,414.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, COO Nicholas Konat sold 31,846 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.13, for a total transaction of $1,978,591.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 82,495 shares in the company, valued at $5,125,414.35. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 31,710 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.03, for a total transaction of $1,998,681.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 274,981 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,332,052.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 160,852 shares of company stock worth $10,032,745 over the last three months. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on SFM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $56.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. StockNews.com cut shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, December 3rd. Bank of America raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $30.00 to $70.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $59.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $51.29.

About Sprouts Farmers Market

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.