Norges Bank Invests $143.11 Million in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,126,256 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $143,113,000. Norges Bank owned about 1.13% of Sprouts Farmers Market at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 289 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.43, for a total value of $40,295.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 6,229 shares of the company's stock, valued at $868,509.47. The trade was a 4.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 890 shares of the 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 $122,303.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 9,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,284,464.74. The trade was a 8.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 96,784 shares of company stock valued at $13,534,466. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 5.0 %

NASDAQ:SFM traded down $7.70 on Friday, reaching $145.58. 1,345,685 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,384,869. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1-year low of $61.61 and a 1-year high of $178.99. The company's 50 day moving average is $152.58 and its 200-day moving average is $138.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.96 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on SFM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $167.00.

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.