36,068 Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM Shares Bought by Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC

Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 310.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 47,681 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 36,068 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $3,159,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in SFM. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on SFM. Bank of America lowered shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $47.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $84.00 to $77.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $100.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $64.77.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $49.10 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $66.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.63. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $47.35 and a 52 week high of $94.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.42, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $2.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.33 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 33.83%. The company’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.22 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Joseph O’Leary sold 2,597 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.57, for a total value of $214,434.29. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 14,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,214,604.70. This trade represents a 15.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 10,788 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.14, for a total value of $584,062.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 269,980 shares in the company, valued at $14,616,717.20. The trade was a 3.84% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 46,041 shares of company stock valued at $3,108,047. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company Profile

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc (NASDAQ:SFM) is a specialty grocery retailer focused on fresh, natural and organic foods. Its stores offer a broad selection of fresh produce, meat and seafood, dairy products, bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, pantry staples, bakery items, deli products and prepared foods. The company emphasizes products that support healthy eating, including organic, plant-based and specialty-diet options.

Founded in 2002, Sprouts Farmers Market grew from its first store in Chandler, Arizona, into a national grocery chain.