Ostrum Asset Management Sells 189 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Ostrum Asset Management lowered its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 13.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,171 shares of the company’s stock after selling 189 shares during the quarter. Ostrum Asset Management’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $149,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in the 4th 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, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of SFM stock opened at $160.15 on Monday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $64.02 and a 12-month high of $178.99. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $150.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $143.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market cap of $15.72 billion, a PE ratio of 42.59, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.36, for a total value of $435,384.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 189,315 shares in the company, valued at $28,276,088.40. This trade represents a 1.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.34, for a total value of $302,680.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,007,222.42. The trade was a 13.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 96,764 shares of company stock worth $13,562,649 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $167.00.

About Sprouts Farmers Market

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.