New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 6,512 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 6.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 88,904 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,512 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.09% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $11,297,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of SFM. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 80.6% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 363 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Roth Mkm increased their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $152.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.89, for a total transaction of $104,223.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 10,874 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,619,029.86. This trade represents a 6.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 163,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,454,764.88. This represents a 15.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 42,614 shares of company stock worth $6,323,731. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 15.6 %

Shares of SFM traded down $26.48 on Friday, reaching $143.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,664,234 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,466,160. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a twelve month low of $52.57 and a twelve month high of $178.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.33 billion, a PE ratio of 41.42, a PEG ratio of 2.39 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $148.11 and a 200-day moving average of $129.61.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 28.24% and a net margin of 4.73%. The firm had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.96 billion. Equities analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.7 EPS for the current 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.