Pitcairn Co. Sells 1,194 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Pitcairn Co. reduced its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 35.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,216 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,194 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $245,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 17.8% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 27,557 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,043,000 after purchasing an additional 4,171 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 137.7% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 249,914 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,593,000 after buying an additional 144,761 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 983,257 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,561,000 after buying an additional 48,103 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 273.6% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 98,438 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,869,000 after buying an additional 72,087 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 80.6% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 921 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.60, for a total value of $104,625.60. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 25,251 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,868,513.60. This represents a 3.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.60, for a total transaction of $757,676.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 199,576 shares in the company, valued at $26,463,777.60. This represents a 2.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 36,516 shares of company stock valued at $4,465,466. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $151.97 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.92, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.54. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a one year low of $41.27 and a one year high of $154.55. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $124.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $100.64.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.14. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 28.24% and a net margin of 4.73%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.65 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on SFM. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Melius Research started coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $115.40.

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.