New York State Common Retirement Fund Lowers Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

New York State Common Retirement Fund trimmed its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 41,939 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,853 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $2,018,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Xponance Inc. increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 14,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $720,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the period. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 1,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Connors Investor Services Inc. lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.4% in the third quarter. Connors Investor Services Inc. now owns 58,125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,488,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 8,470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 7,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of SFM opened at $74.66 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.12 and a 1-year high of $75.95. The stock has a market cap of $7.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.62.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.85 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 26.77% and a net margin of 4.25%. Sprouts Farmers Market’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.98 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on SFM shares. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $48.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $31.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $56.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $53.50.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 479 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.47, for a total transaction of $29,923.13. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 2,987 shares in the company, valued at $186,597.89. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 479 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.47, for a total transaction of $29,923.13. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 2,987 shares in the company, valued at $186,597.89. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Kim Coffin sold 1,322 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.05, for a total value of $99,216.10. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,500 shares in the company, valued at $412,775. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 198,348 shares of company stock worth $12,818,196 over the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.