Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Shares Bought by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 33.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 79,289 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 19,921 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 0.08% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $10,075,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 80.6% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 363 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.89, for a total value of $104,223.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,874 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,619,029.86. This trade represents a 6.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.54, for a total value of $488,379.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 143,669 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,070,304.26. This trade represents a 1.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 42,614 shares of company stock worth $6,323,731 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 3.5 %

NASDAQ SFM traded down $6.17 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $169.80. 2,309,835 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,338,425. The business's 50 day moving average is $147.79 and its 200-day moving average is $128.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $52.24 and a 12-month high of $178.99.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.07. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 28.24% and a net margin of 4.73%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America upped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI increased their price objective 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $134.50.

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.