Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Short Interest Update

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) was the target of a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 10,785,354 shares, an increase of 20.8% from the January 15th total of 8,931,920 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,093,477 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days. Approximately 11.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Approximately 11.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 3,093,477 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, insider John Scott Neal sold 17,471 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.20, for a total value of $1,488,529.20. Following the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 3,161 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.39, for a total transaction of $250,951.79. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 5,552 shares in the company, valued at approximately $440,773.28. The trade was a 36.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of SFM. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,913,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $789,802,000 after buying an additional 28,951 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,115,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,174,000 after acquiring an additional 71,905 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 137.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,584,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $425,582,000 after acquiring an additional 1,494,014 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 39.1% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,323,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,647,000 after acquiring an additional 653,206 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 12.3% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,314,665 shares of the company’s stock worth $381,086,000 after purchasing an additional 252,699 shares in the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFM traded down $0.50 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $67.06. The company had a trading volume of 701,711 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,882,356. Sprouts Farmers Market has a 12 month low of $64.75 and a 12 month high of $182.00. The firm has a market cap of $6.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.97, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.75. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $75.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $99.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $135.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating and set a $91.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Zacks Research raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Sprouts Farmers Market from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $88.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.54.

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.