Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Buys 48,103 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 5.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 983,257 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 48,103 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $108,561,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 223.5% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the second quarter worth $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares in the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SFM opened at $147.98 on Tuesday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a twelve month low of $41.27 and a twelve month high of $149.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $122.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.80 billion, a PE ratio of 42.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.54.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.60, for a total transaction of $757,676.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 199,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,463,777.60. The trade was a 2.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Joe Fortunato sold 11,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.84, for a total transaction of $1,527,660.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 33,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,459,571.64. This trade represents a 25.52 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 43,051 shares of company stock valued at $5,133,932. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Roth Mkm increased their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $58.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $107.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $115.40.

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.