Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Stock Price Up 9.1% – Here’s Why

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) traded up 9.1% during trading on Monday. The stock traded as high as $54.09 and last traded at $54.2230. Approximately 3,411,445 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 38% from the average session volume of 2,475,773 shares. The stock had previously closed at $49.70.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $84.00 to $77.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 25th. Roth Capital set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $95.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, October 26th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $64.77.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 3.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.97. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $68.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.02. The firm has a market cap of $5.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.76.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.22 by ($0.01). Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 33.83%. The firm had revenue of $2.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.22 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.95 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Joseph O’Leary sold 2,597 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director directly owned 14,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,214,604.70. This represents a 15.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 10,788 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.48, for a total value of $695,610.24. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 269,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,408,310.40. The trade was a 3.84% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 35,253 shares of company stock worth $2,523,984. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SFM. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the first quarter worth $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000.

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.