O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Has $6.33 Million Stock Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,824 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,643 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $6,331,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on SFM. Roth Mkm increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group raised their target price 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. Finally, Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $167.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $155.25 on Wednesday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1-year low of $61.61 and a 1-year high of $178.99. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $152.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.96 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. On average, equities analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.80, for a total transaction of $724,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 28,571 shares in the company, valued at $4,137,080.80. The trade was a 14.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total value of $407,201.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 149,499 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,741,491.26. This represents a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 96,784 shares of company stock worth $13,534,466 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market 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.