State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Cuts Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D decreased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 37,747 shares of the company’s stock after selling 370 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $4,797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 69.6% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 94.9% in the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,298,768 shares of the company’s stock valued at $165,034,000 after purchasing an additional 632,523 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $226,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 33.6% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 79,289 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,075,000 after acquiring an additional 19,921 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of SFM stock opened at $175.97 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $147.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.99. The company has a market cap of $17.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.86, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.63. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.24 and a 12 month high of $178.99.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.89, for a total value of $104,223.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,874 shares in the company, valued at $1,619,029.86. This represents a 6.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total transaction of $407,201.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 149,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,741,491.26. This represents a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 42,614 shares of company stock worth $6,323,731. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $134.50.

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.