Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC Takes $528,000 Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $528,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on SFM shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $118.40.

Insider Activity

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total transaction of $52,538.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,991 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,700,629.01. This trade represents a 1.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.89, for a total transaction of $104,223.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,619,029.86. This represents a 6.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 61,869 shares of company stock worth $8,778,152 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ SFM opened at $152.30 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $141.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.25. The company has a market capitalization of $15.23 billion, a PE ratio of 44.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.63. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $49.74 and a 12-month high of $155.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

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

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.