Legato Capital Management LLC Purchases Shares of 6,138 Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Legato Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 6,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $780,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Summit Trail Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at $213,000. Savant Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at $243,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 64,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,146,000 after purchasing an additional 2,522 shares during the period. Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at $6,464,000. Finally, Mezzasalma Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at $2,098,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 3.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM opened at $176.37 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.64 billion, a PE ratio of 50.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.63. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1 year low of $51.25 and a 1 year high of $176.73. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $145.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $126.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.54, for a total transaction of $488,379.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 143,669 shares in the company, valued at $24,070,304.26. This represents a 1.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,700,629.01. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 42,614 shares of company stock worth $6,323,731. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SFM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $124.40.

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.