Unified Investment Management Makes New Investment in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Unified Investment Management acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 9,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,161,000. Sprouts Farmers Market makes up 1.3% of Unified Investment Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,484,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $275,634,000 after purchasing an additional 56,161 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,349,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,020,000 after purchasing an additional 156,175 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 94.9% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,298,768 shares of the company’s stock worth $165,034,000 after purchasing an additional 632,523 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 983,257 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,561,000 after purchasing an additional 48,103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 698,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,122,000 after purchasing an additional 10,326 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total transaction of $407,201.90. Following the completion of the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 350 shares of the company’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 sale, the director now owns 17,991 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,700,629.01. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,614 shares of company stock worth $6,323,731 over the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SFM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. UBS Group boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $154.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 3.9 %

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $148.40 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $149.06 and its 200-day moving average is $131.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.63 billion, a PE ratio of 39.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $60.46 and a 12-month high of $178.99.

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

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.