Northstar Asset Management Inc. Sells 1,679 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Northstar Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,933 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,679 shares during the quarter. Sprouts Farmers Market comprises approximately 1.9% of Northstar Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Northstar Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $7,362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of SFM. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,484,059 shares of the company’s stock valued at $275,634,000 after buying an additional 56,161 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,349,694 shares of the company’s stock valued at $149,020,000 after acquiring an additional 156,175 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 94.9% in the fourth 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 during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 5.1% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.5% during the third 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 during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

SFM opened at $177.12 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.71 billion, a PE ratio of 51.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.63. 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 business’s 50-day moving average is $146.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $128.14. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1 year low of $52.04 and a 1 year high of $178.46.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on SFM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $124.40.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.54, for a total transaction of $488,379.10. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 143,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,070,304.26. The trade was a 1.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total transaction of $52,538.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,991 shares in the company, 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 sold 42,614 shares of company stock valued at $6,323,731 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company 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.