Ausbil Investment Management Ltd Reduces Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd lessened its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 26.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,669 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,506 shares during the quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $1,302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 80.6% during 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 period.

Insider Activity

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 11,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.84, for a total value of $1,527,660.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 33,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,459,571.64. The trade was a 25.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total transaction of $407,201.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 149,499 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,741,491.26. This represents a 1.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 61,869 shares of company stock valued at $8,778,152. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on SFM. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $119.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of SFM stock traded up $2.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $158.34. 1,676,520 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,132,103. The company has a market capitalization of $15.83 billion, a PE ratio of 45.76, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.63. 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 $49.81 and a 12-month high of $160.03. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $142.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.51.

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, 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 business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.65 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Sprouts Farmers Market 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.