Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $16.55 Million Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. trimmed its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 71.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 130,254 shares of the company's stock after selling 322,418 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.13% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $16,551,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in SFM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,349,694 shares of the company's stock valued at $149,020,000 after buying an additional 156,175 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter worth $13,348,000. SpiderRock Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter worth about $3,252,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 983,257 shares of the company's stock valued at $108,561,000 after purchasing an additional 48,103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Hawaiian Bank bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,517,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

NASDAQ:SFM traded down $1.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $139.25. 1,343,105 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,167,050. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $48.98 and a 12 month high of $155.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a fifty day moving average of $141.53 and a 200 day moving average of $116.57. The stock has a market cap of $13.92 billion, a PE ratio of 40.25, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.63.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.65 EPS. Sprouts Farmers Market's revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on SFM. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price 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, Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $105.00 price target for the company. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $118.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, insider Joseph L. Hurley sold 4,956 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.66, for a total transaction of $657,462.96. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,184 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,483,669.44. This represents a 30.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joe Fortunato sold 11,500 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.84, for a total transaction of $1,527,660.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,459,571.64. This trade represents a 25.52 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 61,869 shares of company stock valued at $8,778,152. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.