B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Trims Stock Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lessened its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 15.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,771 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,284 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $1,623,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SFM. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake 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 period. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 460 shares of the company's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $167.00.

Remove Ads

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total value of $407,201.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 149,499 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,741,491.26. This represents a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 229 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.43, for a total value of $31,929.47. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,226 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,425,811.18. This trade represents a 2.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 96,784 shares of company stock worth $13,534,466. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 1.5 %

NASDAQ SFM traded up $2.12 on Monday, reaching $147.41. 1,097,056 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,393,941. 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 $152.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $139.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.07. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. The firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.96 billion. 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.