B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Reduces Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG cut its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 15.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 12,771 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,284 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $1,623,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.34, for a total value of $302,680.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 13,263 shares in the company, valued at $2,007,222.42. This represents a 13.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Stacy W. Hilgendorf sold 229 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.43, for a total transaction of $31,929.47. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,425,811.18. This represents a 2.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 96,784 shares of company stock valued at $13,534,466 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM opened at $158.34 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $152.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $138.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $15.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $61.61 and a fifty-two week high of $178.99.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on SFM shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $163.00 to $190.00 in a report on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $167.00.

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.