Geode Capital Management LLC Reduces Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Geode Capital Management LLC lowered its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,478,746 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,313 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.48% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $317,087,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth $143,113,000. Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 94.9% in the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,298,768 shares of the company's stock worth $165,034,000 after buying an additional 632,523 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth about $64,117,000. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter valued at approximately $18,259,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter worth approximately $19,926,000.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 890 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total transaction of $122,303.80. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 9,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,284,464.74. This represents a 8.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total value of $407,201.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 149,499 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,741,491.26. The trade was a 1.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 96,784 shares of company stock worth $13,534,466 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 0.4 %

NASDAQ:SFM traded down $0.64 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $153.02. 506,830 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,410,154. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market capitalization of $15.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.95, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a twelve month low of $61.61 and a twelve month high of $178.99. The business has a 50-day moving average of $151.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.43.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.96 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on SFM. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $163.00 to $190.00 in a report on Monday, March 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target 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. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $167.00.

About Sprouts Farmers Market

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.