Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Shares Acquired by Congress Asset Management Co.

Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 94.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,298,768 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 632,523 shares during the quarter. Sprouts Farmers Market accounts for approximately 1.1% of Congress Asset Management Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Congress Asset Management Co. owned approximately 1.30% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $165,034,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,349,694 shares of the company's stock valued at $149,020,000 after buying an additional 156,175 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter valued at about $13,348,000. SpiderRock Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,252,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 983,257 shares of the company's stock valued at $108,561,000 after buying an additional 48,103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Hawaiian Bank purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,517,000.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.89, for a total value of $104,223.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,874 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,619,029.86. This trade represents a 6.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Joseph D. O'leary sold 350 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,991 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,700,629.01. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 42,614 shares of company stock worth $6,323,731 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ SFM traded up $4.47 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $175.97. 1,756,566 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,307,235. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $147.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $128.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.86, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.63. 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 twelve month low of $52.24 and a twelve month high of $178.99.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SFM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $134.50.

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.