Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Acquires 1,800 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 53.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,160 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,800 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $656,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% during 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 last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.9% in the fourth 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 equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Northcoast Research upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Bank of America raised their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $167.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ SFM 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $152.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.34, for a total transaction of $302,680.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,007,222.42. The trade was a 13.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total transaction of $407,201.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 149,499 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,741,491.26. This trade represents a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 96,784 shares of company stock valued at $13,534,466. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.