Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning.

SFM has been the subject of a number of other reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $58.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Melius Research began coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $105.00 price objective on the stock. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $115.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of SFM stock opened at $140.65 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $113.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.40. Sprouts Farmers Market has a 52-week low of $39.98 and a 52-week high of $142.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.54.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 28.24%. The firm’s revenue was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.65 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 11,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.84, for a total value of $1,527,660.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 33,571 shares in the company, valued at $4,459,571.64. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Hari K. Avula sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.50, for a total transaction of $241,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,554 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,018,461. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Joe Fortunato sold 11,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.84, for a total value of $1,527,660.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,459,571.64. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 53,148 shares of company stock worth $6,143,836. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sprouts Farmers Market

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,917 shares of the company’s stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC lifted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.9% during the third quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 5,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $605,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 26.3% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 605 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 18,717 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,566,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $402,000 after buying an additional 158 shares in the last quarter.

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.