Optivise Advisory Services LLC Acquires Shares of 1,727 Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Optivise Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,727 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $219,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at $143,113,000. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 94.9% in the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,298,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $165,034,000 after purchasing an additional 632,523 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth about $64,117,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,582,896 shares of the company's stock worth $201,139,000 after buying an additional 294,553 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,843,320 shares of the company's stock worth $234,231,000 after buying an additional 168,605 shares during the period.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 445 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total value of $61,151.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 4,436 shares in the company, valued at approximately $609,595.12. This represents a 9.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 1,065 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.97, for a total value of $143,743.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,830 shares in the company, valued at $1,326,755.10. This trade represents a 9.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 96,764 shares of company stock worth $13,562,649 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 0.8 %

SFM traded up $1.35 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $168.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 918,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,420,097. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52-week low of $64.02 and a 52-week high of $178.99. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $149.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $144.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a market cap of $16.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.69, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.07. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. The company had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.96 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SFM has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Bank of America raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $167.00.

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.