Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Shares Sold by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC decreased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,397,412 shares of the company’s stock after selling 173,315 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $154,288,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 76.1% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 40,058 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,423,000 after purchasing an additional 17,305 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,577,000. Freedom Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter valued at approximately $233,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth approximately $220,000. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $225,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SFM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $107.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $115.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 1.7 %

NASDAQ SFM opened at $154.48 on Friday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.27 and a 12 month high of $155.64. The company has a market capitalization of $15.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.65, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.54. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $127.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $101.90. 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) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.14. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 28.24% and a net margin of 4.73%. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.65 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.09, for a total transaction of $577,628.26. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 222,432 shares in the company, valued at $22,485,650.88. The trade was a 2.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph L. Hurley sold 4,956 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.66, for a total transaction of $657,462.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 11,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,483,669.44. This trade represents a 30.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 36,516 shares of company stock valued at $4,465,466 over the last three months. Company 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.