Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Holdings Boosted by State of Alaska Department of Revenue

State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 1.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,637 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 310 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $2,691,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 92.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% during 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. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 111.3% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at $51,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on SFM shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Roth Capital set a $155.00 price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Northcoast Research raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $167.79.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 2,247 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.00, for a total transaction of $388,731.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,979 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,380,367. The trade was a 21.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 677 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.18, for a total transaction of $118,596.86. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 5,552 shares in the company, valued at approximately $972,599.36. The trade was a 10.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 84,188 shares of company stock worth $13,578,866. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of SFM opened at $165.96 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.24 billion, a PE ratio of 37.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.81. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a one year low of $77.28 and a one year high of $182.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $165.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.35.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.20 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.53% and a return on equity of 34.20%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.12 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 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.