Boston Trust Walden Corp Sells 691,900 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Boston Trust Walden Corp decreased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 96.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,771 shares of the company's stock after selling 691,900 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $3,148,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2,577.7% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 452,672 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,980,000 after purchasing an additional 435,767 shares during the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,712,000. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter worth approximately $18,259,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 3,347.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 164,732 shares of the company's stock worth $18,188,000 after acquiring an additional 159,954 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,349,694 shares of the company's stock valued at $149,020,000 after acquiring an additional 156,175 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM opened at $165.85 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $16.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.63. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $143.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.91. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $49.81 and a fifty-two week high of $166.36.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, Director Joseph D. O'leary sold 350 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total transaction of $52,538.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,991 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,700,629.01. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.89, for a total transaction of $104,223.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,874 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,619,029.86. The trade was a 6.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 39,699 shares of company stock valued at $5,835,352 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $119.40.

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.

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