Legal & General Group Plc Sells 7,438 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Legal & General Group Plc lessened its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 226,110 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,438 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.23% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $28,732,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 460 shares of the company's stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on SFM. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 28th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $160.00 target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $167.00.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.34, for a total transaction of $302,680.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 13,263 shares of the company's stock, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.54, for a total transaction of $488,379.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 143,669 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,070,304.26. The trade was a 1.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 96,764 shares of company stock valued at $13,562,649 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock traded up $0.71 on Friday, reaching $160.15. 1,270,951 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,422,890. The company has a market capitalization of $15.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $62.72 and a 52 week high of $178.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm's 50-day moving average is $150.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.26.

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 analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.96 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.