Pacer Advisors Inc. Acquires 8,012 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 54.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,614 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,012 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $2,874,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth $38,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of SFM opened at $158.34 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $142.63 and a 200-day moving average of $121.25. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a one year low of $49.81 and a one year high of $160.03. 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 has a market cap of $15.83 billion, a PE ratio of 45.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.63.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.14. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 28.24% and a net margin of 4.73%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.65 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, insider Joseph L. Hurley sold 4,956 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.66, for a total transaction of $657,462.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,184 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,483,669.44. The trade was a 30.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.60, for a total value of $757,676.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 199,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,463,777.60. This trade represents a 2.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 61,869 shares of company stock valued at $8,778,152. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on SFM. StockNews.com upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $119.40.

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.