Renaissance Group LLC Increases Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Renaissance Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 29.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 69,834 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,694 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Group LLC owned about 0.07% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $7,598,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of SFM. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 137.0% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,584,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $425,582,000 after purchasing an additional 1,494,014 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 2nd quarter valued at about $198,080,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 157.3% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,248,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $205,617,000 after buying an additional 763,422 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 52.8% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,131,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,948,000 after acquiring an additional 737,008 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 6,089.8% in the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 593,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,618,000 after acquiring an additional 584,321 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider John Scott Neal sold 17,471 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.20, for a total transaction of $1,488,529.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 14,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,207,965.60. The trade was a 55.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 3,161 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.39, for a total value of $250,951.79. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 5,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $440,773.28. The trade was a 36.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SFM. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $91.00 price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $148.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.69.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 1.5%

NASDAQ SFM opened at $67.32 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.55 billion, a PE ratio of 13.02, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.75. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.17 and a 12 month high of $182.00. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $77.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $104.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Sprouts Farmers Market Profile

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc (NASDAQ: SFM) is a specialty grocery retailer focused on fresh, natural and organic foods. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, the company operates stores designed to offer an open-market shopping experience, emphasizing quality produce sourced from regional farmers alongside organic pantry staples, dairy, meat and seafood. Sprouts’ product assortment also includes bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, a deli and prepared foods, reflecting its commitment to wellness and affordable healthy living.

Founded in 2002 by members of the Boney family, Sprouts began as a single farmers market in Chandler, Arizona.