Renaissance Technologies LLC Purchases 24,000 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,464,644 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,000 shares during the period. Sprouts Farmers Market accounts for 0.8% of Renaissance Technologies LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 4.47% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $567,322,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,604,819 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,347,554,000 after purchasing an additional 56,652 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,484,059 shares of the company's stock worth $275,634,000 after buying an additional 56,161 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,582,896 shares of the company's stock worth $201,139,000 after buying an additional 294,553 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,349,694 shares of the company's stock valued at $149,020,000 after acquiring an additional 156,175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 94.9% in the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,298,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $165,034,000 after acquiring an additional 632,523 shares during the last quarter.

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Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 2.2 %

SFM stock traded up $3.35 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $157.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,407,552 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,418,136. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a twelve month low of $61.61 and a twelve month high of $178.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.83, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The company's fifty day moving average price is $151.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $141.30.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on SFM shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. 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. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $167.00.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.80, for a total value of $724,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 28,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,137,080.80. This represents a 14.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total transaction of $407,201.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 149,499 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,741,491.26. This trade represents a 1.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 99,699 shares of company stock worth $13,969,851. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company 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.