Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Purchases 41,703 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 18.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 263,344 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 41,703 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $33,463,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 314.8% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 223,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,727,000 after purchasing an additional 169,888 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 2nd quarter valued at about $544,000. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 29.8% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 29,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,507,000 after acquiring an additional 6,871 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 42.2% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 74,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,270,000 after purchasing an additional 22,246 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SFM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $119.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 0.7 %

NASDAQ SFM opened at $156.25 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.16, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.63. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $49.81 and a 52 week high of $158.84. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $142.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $120.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13.

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

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, insider Joseph L. Hurley sold 4,956 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.66, for a total value of $657,462.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,483,669.44. This trade represents a 30.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total transaction of $407,201.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 149,499 shares in the company, 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. Insiders sold a total of 61,869 shares of company stock worth $8,778,152 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.