Bridgewater Associates LP Has $4.27 Million Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Bridgewater Associates LP cut its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 72.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 33,611 shares of the company’s stock after selling 86,672 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $4,271,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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 last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on SFM. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $167.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.34, for a total transaction of $302,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 13,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,007,222.42. This trade represents a 13.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was 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 approximately $24,070,304.26. This represents a 1.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 96,764 shares of company stock worth $13,562,649. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $160.15 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $15.72 billion, a PE ratio of 42.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $62.72 and a 12-month high of $178.99. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $150.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $142.26.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.96 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company 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.