Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Grows Stock Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 53.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,160 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $656,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 28,659 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,642,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,975 shares of the company's stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 6,715 shares of the company's stock worth $853,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,649 shares of the company's stock worth $845,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,849 shares of the company's stock worth $489,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period.

Remove Ads

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Roth Mkm increased their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 5.2 %

NASDAQ SFM traded down $7.99 during trading on Friday, reaching $145.29. 3,152,269 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,391,612. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $152.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.69. The stock has a market cap of $14.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1 year low of $61.61 and a 1 year 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.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 1,065 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.97, for a total value of $143,743.05. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,830 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,326,755.10. This represents a 9.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 445 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total value of $61,151.90. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 4,436 shares in the company, valued at $609,595.12. This represents a 9.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 96,784 shares of company stock worth $13,534,466. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market 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.