Prudential PLC Takes $5.62 Million Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

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

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cynosure Group LLC purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $313,000. Bryce Point Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $431,000. Trexquant Investment LP boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 51.8% in the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 173,437 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,039,000 after buying an additional 59,188 shares in the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth $162,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter worth $130,000.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 229 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.43, for a total value of $31,929.47. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,425,811.18. The trade was a 2.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 13.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 96,784 shares of company stock valued at $13,534,466 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFM opened at $145.29 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $152.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $139.18. 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 $14.24 billion, a PE ratio of 38.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $61.61 and a 12 month high of $178.99.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.96 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SFM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $167.00.

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.