Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Makes New $212,000 Investment in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 1,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $212,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 223.5% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the period. Finally, Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,000.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 11,500 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.84, for a total transaction of $1,527,660.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,459,571.64. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 11,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.84, for a total transaction of $1,527,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 33,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,459,571.64. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.60, for a total value of $757,676.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 199,576 shares in the company, valued at $26,463,777.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,648 shares of company stock valued at $5,902,586. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFM opened at $146.07 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $115.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.48. The stock has a market cap of $14.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.54. 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 fifty-two week low of $40.39 and a fifty-two week high of $148.56.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.14. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 28.24%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.88 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.65 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $105.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Bank of America upped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $115.40.

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.