Stifel Financial Corp Purchases 33,884 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 88.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 71,983 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 33,884 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned approximately 0.07% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $7,948,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 223.5% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 317 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Joseph D. O'leary sold 350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total value of $52,538.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,991 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,700,629.01. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 30,000 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 163,862 shares in the company, valued at $24,454,764.88. This trade represents a 15.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 59,855 shares of company stock worth $8,323,697. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on SFM shares. Bank of America upped their target price on 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 price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a "sector perform" rating and a $107.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 28th. Finally, Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $105.00 price target for the company. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $118.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 1.2 %

Sprouts Farmers Market stock traded down $1.72 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $147.79. The company had a trading volume of 798,292 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,330,484. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $46.74 and a fifty-two week high of $155.64. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $14.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.58. The firm's fifty day moving average is $135.11 and its 200-day moving average is $106.78.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 28.24%. Sprouts Farmers Market's revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.65 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

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.