Hsbc Holdings PLC Increases Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 166.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 145,285 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 90,789 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.15% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $18,562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

SFM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $167.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

SFM opened at $168.03 on Friday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.02 and a 1 year high of $178.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $149.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $144.59. The firm has a market cap of $16.50 billion, a PE ratio of 44.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.34, for a total value of $302,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,263 shares in the company, valued at $2,007,222.42. The trade was a 13.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.36, for a total transaction of $435,384.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 189,315 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,276,088.40. This trade represents a 1.52 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 96,764 shares of company stock valued at $13,562,649. Corporate 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.

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