Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM – Get Rating) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on SFM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $29.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $25.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. Credit Suisse Group restated a neutral rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, March 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $40.00 to $45.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $33.75.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $36.09 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a fifty day moving average of $34.82 and a 200-day moving average of $33.36. Sprouts Farmers Market has a 52-week low of $24.67 and a 52-week high of $39.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.27.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 1st. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.13. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 3.83%. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.72 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.79 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market will post 2.68 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 66,709 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.85, for a total value of $2,191,390.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 290,928 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,556,984.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, CFO Lawrence Molloy sold 1,159 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.13, for a total value of $38,397.67. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 240,891 shares in the company, valued at $7,980,718.83. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 66,709 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.85, for a total transaction of $2,191,390.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 290,928 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,556,984.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 280,782 shares of company stock valued at $9,677,615. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Sprouts Farmers Market

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 162.5% in the fourth quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 1,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 27.2% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,978 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,956 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.11% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company Profile

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Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc engages in the operation of healthy grocery stores. The firm specializes in fresh, natural and organic products. Its products include fresh produce, bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, grocery, meat and seafood, deli, bakery, dairy, frozen foods, body care and natural household items.