Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Raised to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

SFM has been the subject of several other research reports. Evercore dropped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $175.00 to $130.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $124.00 to $91.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $88.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $122.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.69.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $67.32 on Friday. Sprouts Farmers Market has a 12-month low of $66.17 and a 12-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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $77.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $103.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.55 billion, a PE ratio of 13.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, insider John Scott Neal sold 17,471 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.20, for a total value of $1,488,529.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 14,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,207,965.60. This represents a 55.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 3,161 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.39, for a total transaction of $250,951.79. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 5,552 shares in the company, valued at approximately $440,773.28. The trade was a 36.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sprouts Farmers Market

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.6% in the second quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 10,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,691,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 3,059 shares of the company’s stock valued at $504,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 9,069 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,493,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Alteri Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Alteri Wealth LLC now owns 7,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,256,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter.

About Sprouts Farmers Market

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.