Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP Makes New Investment in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $625,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth $143,113,000. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 94.9% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,298,768 shares of the company's stock worth $165,034,000 after acquiring an additional 632,523 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at about $64,117,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at about $53,946,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,582,896 shares of the company's stock valued at $201,139,000 after purchasing an additional 294,553 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on SFM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a 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. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.79.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM traded up $7.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $168.68. The company had a trading volume of 1,480,546 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,449,462. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a twelve month low of $74.15 and a twelve month high of $178.99. The stock has a market cap of $16.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $155.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $149.67.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.12 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider John Scott Neal sold 17,721 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.89, for a total transaction of $2,851,131.69. Following the sale, the insider now owns 14,178 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,281,098.42. This trade represents a 55.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph D. O'leary sold 2,000 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,931 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,858,201.40. This trade represents a 10.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 125,362 shares of company stock worth $18,263,687 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.