Teacher Retirement System of Texas Boosts Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 75.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 95,853 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 41,285 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned about 0.10% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $12,180,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of SFM. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 80.6% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 363 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 0.1 %

SFM traded up $0.08 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $149.78. 1,267,473 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,313,486. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $151.25 and a 200 day moving average of $136.70. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.61 and a 12-month high of $178.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

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Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.96 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Northcoast Research upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $163.00 to $190.00 in a report on Monday, March 17th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.00.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 229 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.43, for a total transaction of $31,929.47. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,226 shares in the company, valued at $1,425,811.18. The trade was a 2.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 49,898 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total transaction of $6,856,983.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 189,449 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,034,081.58. This trade represents a 20.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 94,784 shares of company stock worth $13,231,786. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by 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.