BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Sells 103,848 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lessened its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 27.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 279,853 shares of the company’s stock after selling 103,848 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned about 0.28% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $30,899,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in SFM. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 223.5% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider John Scott Neal sold 6,535 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.29, for a total transaction of $668,465.15. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 14,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,462,030.97. This trade represents a 31.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 1,997 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.20, for a total transaction of $198,102.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 26,172 shares in the company, valued at $2,596,262.40. The trade was a 7.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,148 shares of company stock valued at $5,853,826 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on SFM shares. Roth Mkm raised their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $58.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $63.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $107.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $115.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of SFM opened at $147.13 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $121.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.73. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.27 and a 12 month high of $148.56. The company has a market capitalization of $14.71 billion, a PE ratio of 42.52, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.14. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 28.24% and a net margin of 4.73%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.88 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.65 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

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.