Handelsbanken Fonder AB Decreases Stock Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lowered its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 678,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 43,000 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned approximately 0.68% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $74,946,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 223.5% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the second quarter worth approximately $63,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

SFM traded up $1.86 during trading on Friday, reaching $112.90. 998,565 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,203,696. The company has a market cap of $11.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.93, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 1.03. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $39.76 and a 12-month high of $114.03. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $101.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $83.73.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.84 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.52% and a return on equity of 27.53%. Sprouts Farmers Market’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.71 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.37 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SFM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $107.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $89.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $63.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Evercore ISI upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $96.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Melius Research initiated coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $105.00 price objective on the stock. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $99.80.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.52, for a total value of $48,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 27,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,651,373.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, Director Hari K. Avula sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.50, for a total transaction of $241,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,554 shares in the company, valued at $1,018,461. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 500 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.52, for a total value of $48,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 27,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,651,373.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 117,507 shares of company stock valued at $11,654,176 in the last ninety days. 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.