Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM Shares Purchased by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 62.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 36,662 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,115 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $3,989,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of SFM. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 137.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,584,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $425,582,000 after purchasing an additional 1,494,014 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 12.3% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,314,665 shares of the company’s stock worth $381,086,000 after buying an additional 252,699 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 52.8% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,131,607 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,948,000 after acquiring an additional 737,008 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 157.3% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,248,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $205,617,000 after acquiring an additional 763,422 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 44.6% in the 2nd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,222,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,267,000 after acquiring an additional 377,028 shares during the period.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $88.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets set a $90.00 target price on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $148.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $200.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.77.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 2.0%

SFM stock opened at $68.96 on Friday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a twelve month low of $64.75 and a twelve month high of $182.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.34, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $101.02.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company 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.