State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Has $4.21 Million Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D decreased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 38,117 shares of the company’s stock after selling 646 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $4,208,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 167.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,555,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,107,000 after buying an additional 973,666 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 15.4% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 4,438,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $371,295,000 after acquiring an additional 593,600 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2,577.7% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 452,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,980,000 after purchasing an additional 435,767 shares during the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter valued at about $31,712,000. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 41.3% during the second quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 804,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,271,000 after purchasing an additional 235,100 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.52, for a total value of $48,760.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 27,188 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,651,373.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, Director Kristen E. Blum sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $200,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 51,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,162,700. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.52, for a total transaction of $48,760.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 27,188 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,651,373.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,648 shares of company stock valued at $5,902,586 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SFM opened at $146.07 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $115.63 and its 200 day moving average is $95.48. The firm has a market cap of $14.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.22, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.39 and a 52-week high of $148.56.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 28.24%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.65 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America upped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $107.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Melius Research assumed 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $115.40.

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.