Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Raises Stock Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 76.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,058 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,305 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $4,423,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter valued at about $736,000. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 505.2% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 52,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 43,990 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $349,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 37.1% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,272 shares of the company’s stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $178,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 2.3 %

Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $150.92 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $15.09 billion, a PE ratio of 43.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.54. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $44.02 and a 12 month high of $155.64. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $128.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $102.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

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. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 28.24%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.65 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.60, for a total value of $757,676.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 199,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,463,777.60. This trade represents a 2.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Joe Fortunato sold 11,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.84, for a total transaction of $1,527,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 33,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,459,571.64. The trade was a 25.52 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 30,802 shares of company stock worth $3,887,838 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on SFM. The Goldman Sachs Group raised 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. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $107.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America raised their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.