Wakefield Asset Management LLLP Has $1.02 Million Stock Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Wakefield Asset Management LLLP lessened its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 36.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,054 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,557 shares during the period. Wakefield Asset Management LLLP’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $1,023,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 94.9% in the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,298,768 shares of the company’s stock valued at $165,034,000 after acquiring an additional 632,523 shares in the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth about $31,712,000. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter valued at $18,259,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,349,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,020,000 after buying an additional 156,175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 137.7% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 249,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,593,000 after acquiring an additional 144,761 shares during the period.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 owns 17,991 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,700,629.01. This represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.24, for a total value of $4,477,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 163,862 shares in the company, valued at $24,454,764.88. This trade represents a 15.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,614 shares of company stock valued at $6,323,731 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on SFM. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $151.18.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 5.5 %

Shares of SFM opened at $142.87 on Friday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a twelve month low of $60.46 and a twelve month high of $178.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.00, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.00.

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

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.