Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co. LLC Sells 10,600 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co. LLC trimmed its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 586,147 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,600 shares during the period. Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co. LLC owned 0.59% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $74,482,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SFM. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter worth about $51,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 1.5 %

NASDAQ SFM traded up $2.54 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $172.30. 1,522,436 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,419,066. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $64.02 and a fifty-two week high of $178.99. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $149.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $145.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.92 billion, a PE ratio of 45.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.96 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. Sell-side analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on SFM. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday, March 17th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $167.00.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 49,898 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total transaction of $6,856,983.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 189,449 shares in the company, valued at $26,034,081.58. This trade represents a 20.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.34, for a total value of $302,680.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,007,222.42. This trade represents a 13.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 96,764 shares of company stock valued at $13,562,649. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.