Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Purchases 1,931 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 11.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,523 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,931 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.'s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $2,481,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 79.7% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 218,540 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,770,000 after purchasing an additional 96,905 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at about $783,000. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at about $307,000. Finally, Holistic Planning LLC purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at about $213,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Sprouts Farmers Market stock traded up $0.75 during trading on Monday, reaching $177.12. The company had a trading volume of 1,225,716 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,151,664. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $52.04 and a 52 week high of $178.46. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $146.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $128.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total value of $407,201.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 149,499 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,741,491.26. This represents a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph D. O'leary sold 350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 17,991 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,700,629.01. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 42,614 shares of company stock valued at $6,323,731. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SFM shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $124.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market 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.