Aviance Capital Partners LLC Has $2.13 Million Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Aviance Capital Partners LLC lowered its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 45.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,320 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,789 shares during the period. Aviance Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $2,133,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 3.6% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,917 shares of the company's stock worth $322,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 26.3% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 605 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.8% during the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 18,717 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,566,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,645 shares of the company's stock worth $402,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the period. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 23.3% during the third quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 931 shares of the company's stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of SFM stock traded up $2.02 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $143.44. 1,343,626 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,336,632. The company has a market capitalization of $14.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.39 and a fifty-two week high of $148.56. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $119.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.09.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. 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. Melius Research began coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "hold" rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a "sector perform" rating and a $107.00 target price on the stock. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $115.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 11,500 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 33,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,459,571.64. This trade represents a 25.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.09, for a total value of $577,628.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 222,432 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,485,650.88. This trade represents a 2.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,648 shares of company stock worth $5,902,586 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.