Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Shares Purchased by Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc.

Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 145.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,342 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 12,067 shares during the quarter. Sprouts Farmers Market accounts for approximately 1.9% of Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $2,585,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of SFM. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 6.2 %

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $153.66 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $151.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.43. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52-week low of $61.61 and a 52-week high of $178.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $15.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.54, for a total value of $488,379.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 143,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,070,304.26. This represents a 1.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 890 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total value of $122,303.80. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 9,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,284,464.74. This represents a 8.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 96,784 shares of company stock worth $13,534,466 in the last 90 days. Company 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. StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Bank of America boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Northcoast Research raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company 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.