Bridgewater Associates LP Sells 86,672 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Bridgewater Associates LP reduced its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 72.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,611 shares of the company's stock after selling 86,672 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $4,271,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 460 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 229 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.43, for a total value of $31,929.47. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,226 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,425,811.18. The trade was a 2.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.54, for a total value of $488,379.10. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 143,669 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,070,304.26. This represents a 1.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 96,764 shares of company stock valued at $13,562,649 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 1.4 %

NASDAQ:SFM traded up $2.30 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $165.60. 650,701 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,419,791. The business's 50-day moving average price is $150.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $143.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.02 and a 1 year high of $178.99. 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 (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.96 billion. Analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on SFM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.00.

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.