AQR Capital Management LLC Purchases 150,594 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 145.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 253,915 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 150,594 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $32,265,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 55.0% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 20,722 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,633,000 after buying an additional 7,355 shares in the last quarter. Unified Investment Management acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,161,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 181,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,046,000 after purchasing an additional 37,637 shares during the period. First Hawaiian Bank acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,517,000. Finally, Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 145.8% during the 4th quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 20,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,585,000 after buying an additional 12,067 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ SFM opened at $173.93 on Friday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $71.15 and a fifty-two week high of $178.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $151.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $146.34.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.20 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SFM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $168.77.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 445 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total value of $61,151.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 4,436 shares in the company, valued at $609,595.12. This represents a 9.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 1,725 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.01, for a total value of $301,892.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 23,895 shares in the company, valued at $4,181,863.95. This trade represents a 6.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 100,736 shares of company stock worth $14,253,272. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.