Banco Santander S.A. Invests $819,000 in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Banco Santander S.A. bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 6,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $819,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SFM. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 94.9% in the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,298,768 shares of the company’s stock valued at $165,034,000 after purchasing an additional 632,523 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $18,259,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $19,926,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 156,175 shares during the period. Finally, Citigroup Inc. grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 137.7% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 249,914 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,593,000 after purchasing an additional 144,761 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $136.97 on Monday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $60.46 and a 12-month high of $178.99. The stock has a market cap of $13.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The business’s 50 day moving average is $150.28 and its 200-day moving average is $133.42.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.07. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. The company had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.96 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Evercore ISI upped 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Roth Mkm upped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $154.00.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.80, for a total value of $724,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 28,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,137,080.80. This represents a 14.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.89, for a total value of $104,223.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,874 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,619,029.86. This trade represents a 6.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 47,264 shares of company stock worth $6,995,193. Company 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.