Bank of Montreal Can Trims Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Bank of Montreal Can lessened its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 52.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 89,209 shares of the company's stock after selling 97,235 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can owned about 0.09% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $9,625,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 223.5% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 317 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 80.6% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 363 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 11,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.84, for a total transaction of $1,527,660.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 33,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,459,571.64. The trade was a 25.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 222,432 shares in the company, valued at $22,485,650.88. This trade represents a 2.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 36,516 shares of company stock worth $4,465,466. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of SFM traded down $3.62 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $150.86. 549,090 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,334,887. The business's 50-day moving average price is $127.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $102.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a twelve month low of $44.02 and a twelve month high of $155.64. The company has a market capitalization of $15.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.65, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.54.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.88 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 28.24% and a net margin of 4.73%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.65 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on SFM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Melius Research assumed coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "hold" rating and a $105.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $115.40.

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.