Alberta Investment Management Corp Decreases Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Alberta Investment Management Corp trimmed its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 36.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 13,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,400 shares during the quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $1,652,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 94.9% in the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,298,768 shares of the company’s stock valued at $165,034,000 after acquiring an additional 632,523 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2,577.7% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 452,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,980,000 after purchasing an additional 435,767 shares during the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,712,000. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter worth approximately $18,259,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 3,347.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 164,732 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,188,000 after buying an additional 159,954 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 15.6 %

NASDAQ SFM opened at $143.32 on Friday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.57 and a 12 month high of $178.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a market cap of $14.33 billion, a PE ratio of 41.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.63. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $148.11 and its 200 day moving average is $129.61.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.96 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 28.24%. Research analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total transaction of $52,538.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,991 shares in the company, valued at $2,700,629.01. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.89, for a total transaction of $104,223.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,619,029.86. The trade was a 6.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 42,614 shares of company stock valued at $6,323,731 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on SFM shares. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Bank of America boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $152.40.

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.