Stifel Financial Corp Grows Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 77,293 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,310 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned about 0.08% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $9,822,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SFM. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted 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 purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $168.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.36, for a total transaction of $435,384.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 189,315 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,276,088.40. The trade was a 1.52 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 445 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total value of $61,151.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 4,436 shares in the company, valued at $609,595.12. This trade represents a 9.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 96,764 shares of company stock valued at $13,562,649. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

NASDAQ:SFM traded up $1.98 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $173.64. 1,452,953 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,429,347. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1 year low of $69.96 and a 1 year high of $178.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $150.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.94. The company has a market cap of $17.05 billion, a PE ratio of 46.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion for 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.12 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

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.