Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Shares Purchased by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM – Get Rating) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 458,357 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 747 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $14,837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SFM. PGGM Investments acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter valued at approximately $62,932,000. Wasatch Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the first quarter worth approximately $54,912,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter valued at $16,683,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 366.1% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 731,309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,517,000 after acquiring an additional 574,423 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 643.7% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 570,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,838,000 after acquiring an additional 493,980 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.11% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM opened at $36.06 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $34.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $33.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.68. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $23.56 and a 12 month high of $39.99.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 1st. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.72 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 3.83%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Roth Capital restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Friday, March 3rd. Credit Suisse Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Monday, March 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $25.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, insider David Mcglinchey sold 8,321 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.85, for a total transaction of $273,344.85. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 43,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,417,510.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider David Mcglinchey sold 8,321 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.85, for a total transaction of $273,344.85. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 43,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,417,510.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 66,709 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.85, for a total transaction of $2,191,390.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 290,928 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,556,984.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 280,782 shares of company stock worth $9,677,615. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company Profile

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Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc engages in the operation of healthy grocery stores. The firm specializes in fresh, natural and organic products. Its products include fresh produce, bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, grocery, meat and seafood, deli, bakery, dairy, frozen foods, body care and natural household items.