Green Alpha Advisors LLC Sells 2,114 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Green Alpha Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 13.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,163 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,114 shares during the period. Sprouts Farmers Market accounts for about 1.3% of Green Alpha Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Green Alpha Advisors LLC’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $1,673,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in SFM. First Hawaiian Bank bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth about $1,517,000. Bank of New Hampshire boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 520 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth approximately $231,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $149,020,000 after purchasing an additional 156,175 shares during the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFM opened at $137.98 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $141.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $115.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.80 billion, a PE ratio of 39.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $48.98 and a fifty-two week high of $155.64.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.99, for a total value of $794,188.86. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 158,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,980,990.52. The trade was a 3.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph L. Hurley sold 4,956 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.66, for a total transaction of $657,462.96. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,184 shares in the company, valued at $1,483,669.44. The trade was a 30.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 58,934 shares of company stock worth $8,370,950 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SFM has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target 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. Melius Research began coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $118.40.

About Sprouts Farmers Market

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.