Fiera Capital Corp Invests $31.71 Million in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Fiera Capital Corp purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 287,222 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,712,000. Fiera Capital Corp owned about 0.29% of Sprouts Farmers Market at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SFM. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 223.5% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 317 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter valued at approximately $60,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on SFM shares. Melius Research started coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $105.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $63.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Roth Mkm increased their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $58.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a "sector perform" rating and a $107.00 target price for the company. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $115.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.60, for a total transaction of $757,676.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 199,576 shares in the company, valued at $26,463,777.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director Hari K. Avula sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.50, for a total value of $241,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,554 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,018,461. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.60, for a total transaction of $757,676.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 199,576 shares in the company, valued at $26,463,777.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 53,148 shares of company stock worth $6,143,836 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of SFM traded up $4.50 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $145.15. The company had a trading volume of 1,388,805 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,335,502. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $113.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $93.95. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.98 and a 1-year high of $146.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $14.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.54.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.14. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 28.24%. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.65 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

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.