Vestcor Inc Sells 53,893 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Vestcor Inc lowered its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 20.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 209,665 shares of the company's stock after selling 53,893 shares during the quarter. Sprouts Farmers Market comprises 0.9% of Vestcor Inc's portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Vestcor Inc owned approximately 0.21% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $26,642,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company's stock valued at $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% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 80.6% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 363 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI lowered 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America raised their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $154.15.

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Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 1.8 %

NASDAQ:SFM opened at $137.40 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a twelve month low of $60.46 and a twelve month high of $178.99. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $150.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $133.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.96 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the business's 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 directly owns 149,499 shares in the company, valued at $20,741,491.26. The trade was a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Joe Fortunato sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.80, for a total value of $724,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 28,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,137,080.80. This trade represents a 14.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 16,564 shares of company stock worth $2,413,770. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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