Advisors Preferred LLC Makes New Investment in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 48,618 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,464,000. Sprouts Farmers Market comprises about 1.0% of Advisors Preferred LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SFM. StockNews.com raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective 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 target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $119.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

SFM opened at $167.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52-week low of $50.12 and a 52-week high of $170.50. The firm has a market cap of $16.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.63. The business’s fifty day moving average is $143.83 and its 200-day moving average is $123.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 350 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total transaction of $52,538.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,991 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,700,629.01. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.54, for a total value of $488,379.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 143,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,070,304.26. This represents a 1.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,614 shares of company stock worth $6,323,731 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.