Wells Fargo & Company MN Grows Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 26.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 181,364 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 37,637 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $23,046,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of SFM stock opened at $157.27 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $15.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.83, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $151.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $141.07. 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 $61.61 and a 12 month 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.07. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.96 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.34, for a total transaction of $302,680.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,007,222.42. The trade was a 13.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total value of $407,201.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 149,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,741,491.26. This trade represents a 1.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 99,699 shares of company stock valued at $13,969,851 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on SFM. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $163.00 to $190.00 in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $167.00.

About Sprouts Farmers Market

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.