Quantedge Capital Pte Ltd Decreases Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Quantedge Capital Pte Ltd decreased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 29.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,200 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,900 shares during the quarter. Quantedge Capital Pte Ltd's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $1,804,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Man Group plc lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 204.7% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 289,929 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,841,000 after buying an additional 194,792 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 484.9% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 13,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,683,000 after buying an additional 10,979 shares in the last quarter. Nicholas Investment Partners LP purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,437,000. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 664,923 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,492,000 after buying an additional 75,312 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $625,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 4.6%

Shares of SFM stock traded up $7.40 on Friday, reaching $168.68. 1,480,546 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,449,462. The stock has a market cap of $16.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $155.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $149.67. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1-year low of $74.15 and a 1-year 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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. 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 posted $1.12 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Roth Capital set a $155.00 price target on Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.79.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

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, Director Joe Fortunato sold 5,000 shares of the 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 sale, the director now owns 28,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,137,080.80. This represents a 14.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 125,362 shares of company stock worth $18,263,687. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.