D.A. Davidson & CO. Raises Stock Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,174 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $276,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.9% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 4.4 %

SFM opened at $151.19 on Thursday. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $148.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.92. The company has a market capitalization of $14.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.21, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.63. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $60.46 and a 52 week high of $178.99.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. Analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on SFM shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Roth Mkm upped their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $151.18.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total transaction of $52,538.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,991 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,700,629.01. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 30,000 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.24, for a total transaction of $4,477,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 163,862 shares in the company, valued at $24,454,764.88. This represents a 15.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 42,614 shares of company stock worth $6,323,731 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.