82,895 Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM Shares Acquired by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 41.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 283,110 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 82,895 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned about 0.30% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $18,784,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 2nd quarter valued at about $768,171,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $131,310,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $93,790,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $55,713,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,540,000.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, Director Joseph O’Leary sold 2,597 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.57, for a total value of $214,434.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 14,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,214,604.70. This represents a 15.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 10,788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.14, for a total transaction of $584,062.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 269,980 shares in the company, valued at $14,616,717.20. This represents a 3.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 46,041 shares of company stock valued at $3,108,047. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America lowered shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $47.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Roth Capital set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Zacks Research cut Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $94.00 to $58.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, October 26th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $64.77.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 3.5%

Shares of NASDAQ SFM opened at $50.56 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market cap of $4.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.70, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.76. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $47.35 and a 12 month high of $94.89. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $64.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $75.31.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by ($0.01). Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 33.83% and a net margin of 5.45%. The company had revenue of $2.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.33 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Sprouts Farmers Market

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. is a specialty grocery retailer focused on fresh, natural and organic foods. Its stores offer produce, meat and seafood, bakery and deli items, vitamins and supplements, and packaged grocery products, including the company’s own brands. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Its stores serve communities across the United States, with a footprint concentrated in the Sunbelt and extending into other regions. Sprouts emphasizes fresh foods and products for customers seeking natural, organic and health-oriented options, combining grocery departments with a market-style store format.