Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Hits New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $130.00 to $140.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Sprouts Farmers Market traded as high as $158.84 and last traded at $155.60, with a volume of 216252 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $155.11.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised 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 report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $119.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.24, for a total transaction of $4,477,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 163,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,454,764.88. This represents a 15.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,619,029.86. This trade represents a 6.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 39,699 shares of company stock worth $5,835,352. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SFM. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $15.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.20, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.63. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $142.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13.

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.