Wedbush Securities Inc. Acquires 332 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 14.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,591 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $329,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SFM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Roth Mkm increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $167.00.

Insider Activity

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 1,065 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.97, for a total value of $143,743.05. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,830 shares in the company, valued at $1,326,755.10. The trade was a 9.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,425,811.18. The trade was a 2.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 96,784 shares of company stock valued at $13,534,466 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 6.2 %

NASDAQ:SFM opened at $153.66 on Thursday. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $61.61 and a 12 month high of $178.99. The company has a market cap of $15.06 billion, a PE ratio of 40.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $151.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.43.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.96 billion. Research analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

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.