Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Boosts Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 90.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,071 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 6,675 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $1,554,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 167.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,555,192 shares of the company's stock valued at $130,107,000 after acquiring an additional 973,666 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 15.4% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 4,438,144 shares of the company's stock worth $371,295,000 after purchasing an additional 593,600 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2,577.7% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 452,672 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,980,000 after acquiring an additional 435,767 shares during the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter worth approximately $31,712,000. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 41.3% in the 2nd quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 804,100 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,271,000 after acquiring an additional 235,100 shares during the period.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.52, for a total transaction of $48,760.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 27,188 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,651,373.76. This represents a 1.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.09, for a total value of $577,628.26. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 222,432 shares in the company, valued at $22,485,650.88. This trade represents a 2.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 50,648 shares of company stock worth $5,902,586. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ SFM traded down $0.28 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $141.72. The company had a trading volume of 344,251 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,331,145. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.39 and a 52-week high of $148.56. The stock has a market cap of $14.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.04, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.54. 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 50 day simple moving average of $118.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $97.11.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.88 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 28.24%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.65 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SFM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "hold" rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set a "sector perform" rating and a $107.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $63.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $115.40.

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.