Deutsche Bank AG Grows Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 10.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 379,780 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 34,436 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned 0.38% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $48,259,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SFM. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.80, for a total value of $724,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 28,571 shares in the company, valued at $4,137,080.80. The trade was a 14.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 49,898 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total transaction of $6,856,983.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 189,449 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,034,081.58. This represents a 20.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 125,362 shares of company stock valued at $18,263,687 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on SFM shares. Roth Capital set a $155.00 price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price 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, May 1st. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $167.79.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of SFM stock traded up $7.40 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $168.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,480,546 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,447,436. The company has a 50 day moving average of $155.69 and a 200 day moving average of $149.45. The stock has a market cap of $16.51 billion, a PE ratio of 44.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $74.15 and a 12-month high of $178.99.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the firm earned $1.12 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.