120,899 Shares in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Acquired by World Investment Advisors LLC

World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 120,899 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,348,000. World Investment Advisors LLC owned 0.12% of Sprouts Farmers Market at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 9.9% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 15,578 shares of the company's stock worth $1,720,000 after acquiring an additional 1,402 shares in the last quarter. Rule One Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter worth $14,022,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 7.4% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,973 shares of the company's stock worth $553,000 after buying an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,484,059 shares of the company's stock valued at $275,634,000 after acquiring an additional 56,161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 128.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 199,035 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,975,000 after purchasing an additional 111,838 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on SFM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America upped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a "sector perform" rating and a $107.00 price target for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Eight investment 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 currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $118.40.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 11,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.84, for a total value of $1,527,660.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,459,571.64. This trade represents a 25.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.41, for a total value of $642,310.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,004 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,718,959.64. This trade represents a 2.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 29,155 shares of company stock valued at $3,742,274. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ SFM traded up $0.60 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $149.51. The company had a trading volume of 1,089,413 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,332,702. The stock has a market cap of $14.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.58. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $46.74 and a 52 week high of $155.64. The business's 50-day moving average is $133.64 and its 200-day moving average is $106.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

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

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.