New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Acquires New Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 9,141 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,162,000.

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

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 5.2 %

SFM stock traded down $7.99 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $145.29. 3,152,269 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,394,787. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $152.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $139.18. The stock has a market cap of $14.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $61.61 and a fifty-two week high of $178.99.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.00.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 445 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total transaction of $61,151.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 4,436 shares of the company's stock, valued at $609,595.12. This trade represents a 9.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.34, for a total transaction of $302,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,263 shares in the company, valued at $2,007,222.42. This trade represents a 13.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 96,784 shares of company stock worth $13,534,466 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.