Bristlecone Advisors LLC Sells 7,215 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Bristlecone Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 44.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,079 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,215 shares during the period. Bristlecone Advisors LLC’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $1,154,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,484,059 shares of the company’s stock valued at $275,634,000 after acquiring an additional 56,161 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.1% in the third 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. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 5.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 983,257 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,561,000 after purchasing an additional 48,103 shares during the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.5% in the third quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 698,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,122,000 after buying an additional 10,326 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 464,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,551,000 after buying an additional 95,144 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Activity

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

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 1.2 %

NASDAQ:SFM opened at $167.97 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $144.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $124.72. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $50.12 and a 12 month high of $170.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.55, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on SFM shares. BMO Capital Markets upped 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 research report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Bank of America raised their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $119.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company 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.