Renaissance Group LLC Reduces Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Renaissance Group LLC cut its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 43,860 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,990 shares during the period. Renaissance Group LLC's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $5,573,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 55.0% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 20,722 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,633,000 after acquiring an additional 7,355 shares during the last quarter. Unified Investment Management acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,161,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,349,694 shares of the company's stock worth $149,020,000 after buying an additional 156,175 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth $13,348,000. Finally, First Hawaiian Bank purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at $1,517,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 2.2 %

NASDAQ SFM traded up $3.35 during trading on Friday, hitting $157.27. The stock had a trading volume of 1,407,552 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,418,136. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market capitalization of $15.42 billion, a PE ratio of 41.83, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $151.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $141.30. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a twelve month low of $61.61 and a twelve month high of $178.99.

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Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. The firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.96 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on SFM shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a report on Monday, March 17th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 143,669 shares in the company, valued at $24,070,304.26. This trade represents a 1.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 445 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total value of $61,151.90. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 4,436 shares of the company's stock, valued at $609,595.12. This trade represents a 9.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 99,699 shares of company stock worth $13,969,851 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.