Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Stock Price Target Cut by Jefferies Financial Group

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) had its price target lowered by Jefferies Financial Group from $95.00 to $63.00 in a report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 14.96% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $84.00 to $77.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $100.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $64.77.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 10.3%

Sprouts Farmers Market stock traded up $5.10 during trading on Monday, reaching $54.80. 5,120,277 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,487,010. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $69.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The company has a market capitalization of $5.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.57, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.67. Sprouts Farmers Market has a 52-week low of $47.35 and a 52-week high of $94.89.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.33 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 33.83%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.22 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market will post 4.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 2,597 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.57, for a total value of $214,434.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 14,710 shares in the company, valued at $1,214,604.70. This trade represents a 15.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 10,788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.48, for a total transaction of $695,610.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 269,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,408,310.40. This trade represents a 3.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 46,041 shares of company stock worth $3,460,383 in the last ninety days. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sprouts Farmers Market

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SFM. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the first quarter worth $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company Profile

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc (NASDAQ:SFM) is a specialty grocery retailer focused on fresh, natural and organic foods. Its stores offer a broad selection of fresh produce, meat and seafood, dairy products, bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, pantry staples, bakery items, deli products and prepared foods. The company emphasizes products that support healthy eating, including organic, plant-based and specialty-diet options.

Founded in 2002, Sprouts Farmers Market grew from its first store in Chandler, Arizona, into a national grocery chain.