Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on SFM. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $58.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $107.00 target price on the stock. Melius Research began coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $105.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $115.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 0.8 %

SFM opened at $147.13 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Sprouts Farmers Market has a 52 week low of $41.27 and a 52 week high of $148.56. The stock has a market cap of $14.71 billion, a PE ratio of 42.52, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.54. The business has a 50 day moving average of $122.58 and a 200-day moving average of $99.23.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.88 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 28.24% and a net margin of 4.73%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.65 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 5,097 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.00, for a total value of $519,894.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 26,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,666,076. This trade represents a 16.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kristen E. Blum sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $200,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 51,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,162,700. The trade was a 3.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,148 shares of company stock valued at $5,853,826 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 223.5% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the second quarter worth about $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the period.

About Sprouts Farmers Market

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.