Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Grows Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 43.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,557 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,176 shares during the quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $1,341,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth about $38,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 80.6% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 363 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 442 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SFM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $119.40.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 11,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.84, for a total transaction of $1,527,660.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 33,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,459,571.64. This represents a 25.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total transaction of $407,201.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 149,499 shares in the company, valued at $20,741,491.26. This trade represents a 1.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 61,869 shares of company stock worth $8,778,152 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFM traded up $2.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $158.34. 1,553,480 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,263,023. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $142.41 and a 200 day moving average of $120.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.63. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1 year low of $49.81 and a 1 year high of $160.03. 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 (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 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 the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 28.24%. The company's revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.65 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

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.