Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 400,000 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB reduced its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 30.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 921,800 shares of the company's stock after selling 400,000 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned about 0.91% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $44,348,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at $394,000. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 158,767 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,638,000 after buying an additional 14,401 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 14,976 shares of the company's stock valued at $720,000 after buying an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 49,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,364,000 after buying an additional 3,354 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Client Services LLC purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at $764,000.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, insider Brandon F. Lombardi sold 22,799 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.98, for a total value of $1,367,484.02. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,328 shares in the company, valued at $499,513.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Brandon F. Lombardi sold 22,799 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.98, for a total transaction of $1,367,484.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,328 shares of the company's stock, valued at $499,513.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 417 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.47, for a total value of $26,049.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,331 shares of the company's stock, valued at $645,377.57. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 160,852 shares of company stock worth $10,032,745. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ SFM traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $65.43. 1,724,541 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,282,960. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.51. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.12 and a twelve month high of $66.18. The company has a market cap of $6.62 billion, a PE ratio of 26.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.50. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $61.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.46.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on SFM. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $56.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Bank of America upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $30.00 to $70.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $51.14.

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.