National Bank of Canada FI Acquires 5,239 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 2,831.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,424 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,239 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $599,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter worth $25,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 223.5% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 80.6% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

NASDAQ SFM opened at $147.79 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.78 billion, a PE ratio of 42.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.74 and a 52-week high of $155.64. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $135.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $107.17.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.65 EPS. Sprouts Farmers Market’s quarterly revenue was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SFM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on 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. Finally, Melius Research began coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $105.00 target price for the company. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $118.40.

Insider Activity

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.89, for a total transaction of $104,223.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,874 shares in the company, valued at $1,619,029.86. This represents a 6.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.41, for a total value of $642,310.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 211,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,718,959.64. This trade represents a 2.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 59,855 shares of company stock valued at $8,323,697 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.