Mezzasalma Advisors LLC Makes New $2.10 Million Investment in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Mezzasalma Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 16,514 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,098,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,883,000. Tobam purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 19,523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,481,000 after purchasing an additional 1,931 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 79.7% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 218,540 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,770,000 after buying an additional 96,905 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on SFM shares. 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 research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of 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. 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, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $119.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

SFM opened at $167.97 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $143.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $123.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a market cap of $16.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.55, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.63. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a twelve month low of $50.12 and a twelve month high of $170.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.11, for a total value of $52,538.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,991 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,700,629.01. The trade was a 1.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.24, for a total value of $4,477,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 163,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,454,764.88. This represents a 15.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,614 shares of company stock worth $6,323,731 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.