Strategy Asset Managers LLC Has $247,000 Stock Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Strategy Asset Managers LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 15.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,943 shares of the company’s stock after selling 350 shares during the quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $247,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SFM. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in 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 during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in 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 during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

SFM stock opened at $147.76 on Friday. 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 market cap of $14.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.30, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $151.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.45. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.61 and a 12-month high of $178.99.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.07. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. The company had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.96 billion. On average, analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Nicholas Konat sold 11,283 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.13, for a total transaction of $1,614,935.79. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 55,675 shares in the company, valued at $7,968,762.75. The trade was a 16.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 1,065 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.97, for a total transaction of $143,743.05. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 9,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 94,784 shares of company stock worth $13,231,786. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on SFM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $167.00.

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.