LRI Investments LLC Reduces Stock Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

LRI Investments LLC cut its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 64.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 634 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,161 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $70,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SFM. Dorsey Wright & Associates lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 106.3% during the third quarter. Dorsey Wright & Associates now owns 64,073 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,074,000 after purchasing an additional 33,011 shares in the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 82.7% in the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 17,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,953,000 after acquiring an additional 8,010 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 2,831.9% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 5,424 shares of the company’s stock worth $599,000 after acquiring an additional 5,239 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter valued at approximately $18,259,000. Finally, Weiss Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter worth approximately $2,102,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SFM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Melius Research started coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $105.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America upped their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $107.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $118.40.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.41, for a total value of $642,310.74. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,718,959.64. This represents a 2.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total value of $52,538.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,991 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,700,629.01. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 29,155 shares of company stock worth $3,742,274. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of SFM opened at $146.92 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.69 billion, a PE ratio of 42.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.58. The company’s fifty day moving average is $132.88 and its 200 day moving average is $105.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $45.88 and a fifty-two week high of $155.64.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.88 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 28.24%. The business’s revenue was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.65 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.