New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Purchases New Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 9,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,162,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in 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. bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 3.3 %

Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $152.64 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $14.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $152.04 and a 200-day moving average of $138.07. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $61.61 and a one year high of $178.99.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2 billion during 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.54, for a total transaction of $488,379.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 143,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,070,304.26. This trade represents a 1.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 229 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.43, for a total value of $31,929.47. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,425,811.18. This trade represents a 2.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 94,784 shares of company stock valued at $13,231,786. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price 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 objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group increased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.