State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Trims Stock Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lowered its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 37,747 shares of the company’s stock after selling 370 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $4,797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Creative Planning increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 26.8% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 37,979 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,193,000 after purchasing an additional 8,017 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter valued at about $347,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.0% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,213 shares of the company’s stock valued at $355,000 after purchasing an additional 1,467 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 42.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 44,124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,872,000 after purchasing an additional 13,142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 74,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,196,000 after purchasing an additional 4,347 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on SFM. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $134.50.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $175.97 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $17.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.63. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $147.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $128.99. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1-year low of $52.24 and a 1-year 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.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total transaction of $407,201.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 149,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,741,491.26. The trade was a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 350 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total transaction of $52,538.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,991 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,700,629.01. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 42,614 shares of company stock worth $6,323,731 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

About Sprouts Farmers Market

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.