Triasima Portfolio Management inc. Invests $1.88 Million in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Triasima Portfolio Management inc. acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 14,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,883,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,484,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $275,634,000 after purchasing an additional 56,161 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,349,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,020,000 after purchasing an additional 156,175 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 983,257 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,561,000 after purchasing an additional 48,103 shares during the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 698,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,122,000 after purchasing an additional 10,326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 25.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 464,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,551,000 after purchasing an additional 95,144 shares during the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SFM opened at $169.96 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a fifty day moving average of $143.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $123.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.99 billion, a PE ratio of 49.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.63. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $49.81 and a fifty-two week high of $170.41.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction of $104,223.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,619,029.86. This represents a 6.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total transaction of $52,538.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,991 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,700,629.01. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 39,699 shares of company stock worth $5,835,352. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on SFM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $119.40.

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.