Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Decreases Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lowered its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,201,970 shares of the company's stock after selling 239,437 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 2.20% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $279,809,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM traded up $1.35 on Friday, reaching $168.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 918,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,418,150. The stock has a market capitalization 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $64.02 and a 52-week high of $178.99. The stock's 50-day moving average is $149.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Northcoast Research raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.00.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 49,898 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total value of $6,856,983.16. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 189,449 shares in the company, valued at $26,034,081.58. The trade was a 20.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 1,065 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.97, for a total value of $143,743.05. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,830 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,326,755.10. The trade was a 9.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 96,764 shares of company stock worth $13,562,649 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.