Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Stake Lowered by Wakefield Asset Management LLLP

Wakefield Asset Management LLLP trimmed its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM – Get Rating) by 16.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 26,427 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,077 shares during the quarter. Wakefield Asset Management LLLP’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $733,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 398.3% in the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,171 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 936 shares in the last quarter. Ellevest Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 103.6% in the second quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 1,234 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares in the last quarter. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 36.3% in the second quarter. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 59.2% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. 99.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on SFM shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $34.00 to $38.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 9th. MKM Partners downgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $38.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, November 11th. StockNews.com began coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Wednesday, October 12th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Credit Suisse Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Tuesday, December 20th. Finally, Northcoast Research downgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.57.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, insider Brandon F. Lombardi sold 7,683 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.49, for a total value of $249,620.67. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,486,807.38. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 85,953 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Monday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.77, for a total transaction of $2,902,632.81. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,011,935.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Brandon F. Lombardi sold 7,683 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.49, for a total transaction of $249,620.67. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,762 shares in the company, valued at $1,486,807.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 120,688 shares of company stock valued at $4,049,303 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

SFM traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $31.00. 24,189 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,222,856. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a one year low of $22.56 and a one year high of $35.34. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.12.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 8th. The company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.58 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 3.99% and a return on equity of 25.06%. As a group, research analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 2.34 EPS for the current year.

Sprouts Farmers Market Profile

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Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc offers fresh, natural, and organic food products in the United States. The company offers perishable product categories, including fresh produce, meat, 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.