Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Trims Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lessened its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 58.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 44,104 shares of the company’s stock after selling 62,492 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $5,939,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in 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. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on SFM shares. 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 report on Friday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a 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 target for the company in a report on Friday, February 28th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $167.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 890 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total value of $122,303.80. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 9,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,284,464.74. This represents a 8.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 445 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total value of $61,151.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 4,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $609,595.12. This trade represents a 9.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 94,784 shares of company stock worth $13,231,786 over the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of SFM stock opened at $152.64 on Tuesday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.61 and a 12-month high of $178.99. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $152.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.07. 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 company has a market cap of $14.96 billion, a PE ratio of 40.60, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. The company had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.96 billion. Analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.