SBI Securities Co. Ltd. Purchases Shares of 404 Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% during 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 boosted its holdings 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 last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 80.6% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 3.1 %

SFM opened at $132.75 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $150.28 and a 200 day moving average of $133.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $60.46 and a 12 month high of $178.99. The firm has a market cap of $13.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. The firm had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.96 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.80, for a total transaction of $724,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 28,571 shares in the company, valued at $4,137,080.80. The trade was a 14.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.89, for a total transaction of $104,223.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,874 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,619,029.86. This trade represents a 6.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 47,264 shares of company stock valued at $6,995,193 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on SFM. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Roth Mkm boosted 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. Bank of America upped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $154.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market 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.