Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. Purchases 2,000 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 100.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,000 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd.’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $442,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 142.5% in the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 39,584 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,552,000 after acquiring an additional 23,262 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. RFG Advisory LLC bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the first quarter valued at approximately $271,000. Annex Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 8.5% during the first quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 197,789 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,753,000 after acquiring an additional 15,449 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter worth approximately $399,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 0.7 %

SFM traded down $0.85 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $115.80. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 618,439 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,312,908. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $105.48 and its 200-day moving average is $87.33. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.76 and a 1 year high of $117.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.30, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.56.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 27.53% and a net margin of 4.52%. The company’s revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.71 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.37 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $96.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Monday, September 16th. BMO Capital Markets raised Sprouts Farmers Market from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $40.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $107.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $68.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, June 28th. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $58.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $99.80.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 1,904 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.12, for a total value of $192,532.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,237 shares in the company, valued at $1,035,165.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 56,800 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $5,680,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 10,895 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,089,500. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 1,904 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.12, for a total value of $192,532.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,237 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,035,165.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 124,142 shares of company stock valued at $12,401,112. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.