KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Invests $2.61 Million in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 20,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,605,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,484,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $275,634,000 after buying an additional 56,161 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,349,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,020,000 after acquiring an additional 156,175 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 94.9% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,298,768 shares of the company’s stock worth $165,034,000 after acquiring an additional 632,523 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,107,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,760,000 after purchasing an additional 36,255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 987,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,430,000 after purchasing an additional 3,836 shares during the period.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 229 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.43, for a total transaction of $31,929.47. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,425,811.18. The trade was a 2.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total value of $407,201.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 149,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,741,491.26. This trade represents a 1.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 94,784 shares of company stock valued at $13,231,786. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM opened at $149.78 on Thursday. 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 1 year low of $61.61 and a 1 year high of $178.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.68 billion, a PE ratio of 39.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $151.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $136.79.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on SFM. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $167.00.

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.