Shelton Capital Management Sells 193 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Shelton Capital Management lessened its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 3,779 shares of the company’s stock after selling 193 shares during the quarter. Shelton Capital Management’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $480,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.9% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SFM has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a report on Monday, March 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $167.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFM opened at $153.66 on Thursday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a twelve month low of $61.61 and a twelve month high of $178.99. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $151.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.43. 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 company has a market cap of $15.06 billion, a PE ratio of 40.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. The firm had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.96 billion. On average, analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 890 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total transaction of $122,303.80. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,284,464.74. This represents a 8.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 445 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total transaction of $61,151.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 4,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $609,595.12. The trade was a 9.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 96,784 shares of company stock worth $13,534,466. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.