Retirement Systems of Alabama Grows Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 79.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 218,540 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 96,905 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $27,770,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted 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 worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 80.6% in the 3rd 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. Finally, Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth about $60,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on SFM shares. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. 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 research note on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $119.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.89, for a total value of $104,223.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,874 shares in the company, valued at $1,619,029.86. This trade represents a 6.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total value of $52,538.50. Following the transaction, 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 39,699 shares of company stock worth $5,835,352 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 2.2 %

Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $169.43 on Thursday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1-year low of $49.81 and a 1-year high of $169.69. 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 stock has a market cap of $16.94 billion, a PE ratio of 48.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.63. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $143.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $123.24.

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.