Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 9.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,201,970 shares of the company's stock after selling 239,437 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 2.20% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $279,809,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in SFM. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 28,659 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,642,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,975 shares of the company's stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 6,715 shares of the company's stock valued at $853,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,649 shares of the company's stock worth $845,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 30,664 shares of the company's stock worth $3,896,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $158.53 on Tuesday. 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 twelve month low of $64.02 and a twelve month high of $178.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.56 billion, a PE ratio of 42.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $150.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.36.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.07. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. The firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.96 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SFM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Monday, March 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $167.00.

Insider Activity

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.34, for a total value of $302,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,263 shares in the company, valued at $2,007,222.42. This represents a 13.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.54, for a total value of $488,379.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 143,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,070,304.26. This represents a 1.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 96,764 shares of company stock worth $13,562,649 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.

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