Hanseatic Management Services Inc. Buys 7,710 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Hanseatic Management Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 828.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,641 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,710 shares during the quarter. Sprouts Farmers Market comprises approximately 1.4% of Hanseatic Management Services Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Hanseatic Management Services Inc.'s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $1,098,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,828 shares of the company's stock valued at $868,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth approximately $335,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 21,163 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,689,000 after purchasing an additional 1,279 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at $318,000. Finally, Burney Co. lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Burney Co. now owns 15,823 shares of the company's stock worth $2,011,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of SFM traded down $1.28 on Friday, reaching $139.25. 1,343,105 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,167,050. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $48.98 and a 12 month high of $155.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $141.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.81.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.14. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 28.24% and a net margin of 4.73%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.65 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on SFM. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Bank of America boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $118.40.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now directly owns 10,874 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,619,029.86. The trade was a 6.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.24, for a total value of $4,477,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 163,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,454,764.88. This trade represents a 15.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 61,869 shares of company stock worth $8,778,152 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.