American Century Companies Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,107,739 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 36,255 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 1.11% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $140,760,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised 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, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter worth $51,000.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total transaction of $407,201.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 149,499 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,741,491.26. This represents a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Nicholas Konat sold 11,283 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.13, for a total transaction of $1,614,935.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 55,675 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,968,762.75. This trade represents a 16.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 94,784 shares of company stock valued at $13,231,786 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on SFM shares. Northcoast Research raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, February 28th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target 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. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $167.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 1.0 %

NASDAQ SFM traded down $1.47 on Thursday, reaching $148.31. 1,053,996 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,313,840. 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 fifty-two week low of $61.61 and a fifty-two week high of $178.99. The business's fifty day moving average price is $151.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.96 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. Analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

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.