Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Buys 5,027 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 182.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,786 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,027 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $989,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth about $143,113,000. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 94.9% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at $64,117,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 22.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,582,896 shares of the company's stock worth $201,139,000 after purchasing an additional 294,553 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,843,320 shares of the company's stock worth $234,231,000 after purchasing an additional 168,605 shares in the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 1.4 %

Sprouts Farmers Market stock traded up $2.34 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $173.34. 1,288,508 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,423,599. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $64.02 and a 52 week high of $178.99. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $17.02 billion, a PE ratio of 46.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $145.56.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.12 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SFM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Evercore ISI upped 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 report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $163.00 to $190.00 in a report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $167.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 445 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total transaction of $61,151.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 4,436 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $609,595.12. This represents a 9.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 1,000 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.25, for a total transaction of $140,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,598 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,486,369.50. The trade was a 8.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 96,764 shares of company stock worth $13,562,649 over the last ninety days. 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.