Prudential PLC Purchases New Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Prudential PLC acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 44,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,623,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 12.0% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 67,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,428,000 after buying an additional 7,204 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 25.5% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 5,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after acquiring an additional 1,040 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 11.3% in the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 9,615 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,062,000 after acquiring an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 88.9% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 71,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,948,000 after purchasing an additional 33,884 shares during the period. Finally, Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,102,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 5.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM opened at $145.29 on Friday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1-year low of $61.61 and a 1-year high of $178.99. The company’s fifty day moving average is $152.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on SFM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com lowered Sprouts Farmers Market from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a report on Monday, March 17th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $167.00.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 890 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total value of $122,303.80. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 9,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,284,464.74. This trade represents a 8.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 transaction of $302,680.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,007,222.42. The trade was a 13.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 96,784 shares of company stock worth $13,534,466 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.