StockNews.com Upgrades Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) to “Buy”

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Monday.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on SFM. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $167.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 1.4 %

SFM stock traded up $2.00 during trading on Monday, reaching $147.29. The stock had a trading volume of 3,528,792 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,403,346. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $152.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $139.72. The company has a market capitalization of $14.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.17, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. Sprouts Farmers Market has a 1-year low of $61.61 and a 1-year high of $178.99.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.96 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 445 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total transaction of $61,151.90. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 4,436 shares in the company, valued at $609,595.12. This represents a 9.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.54, for a total transaction of $488,379.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 143,669 shares in the company, valued at $24,070,304.26. The trade was a 1.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 96,784 shares of company stock valued at $13,534,466 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SFM. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 28,659 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,642,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,975 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 6,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $853,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,649 shares of the company’s stock worth $845,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 30,664 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,896,000 after purchasing an additional 95 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.