AlphaQuest LLC Has $620,000 Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC has reduced its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. by 64.2%, owning 4,061 shares valued at $620,000 after selling 7,268 shares in the first quarter.
• Several large investors have significantly increased their holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, with one firm boosting its position by over 1,000% in the same quarter.
• Analysts have upgraded their ratings for Sprouts Farmers Market, with eight analysts giving it a Buy rating and an average price target of $173.73.

AlphaQuest LLC lessened its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 64.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,061 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,268 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $620,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.7% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,217,900 shares of the company's stock worth $338,481,000 after acquiring an additional 15,930 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,033.4% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,476,351 shares of the company's stock worth $225,350,000 after acquiring an additional 1,346,097 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,355,147 shares of the company's stock worth $172,199,000 after acquiring an additional 160,882 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 300.3% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,037,187 shares of the company's stock worth $158,316,000 after purchasing an additional 778,079 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 997,152 shares of the company's stock worth $152,205,000 after purchasing an additional 10,059 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.57, for a total transaction of $1,475,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,461.48. This trade represents a 35.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Terri F. Graham sold 1,278 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $230,040.00. Following the sale, the director owned 32,910 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,923,800. The trade was a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 35,319 shares of company stock valued at $5,531,258 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 2.2%

NASDAQ:SFM traded down $3.17 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $141.42. 1,840,239 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,738,635. The company has a market capitalization of $13.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.78. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $96.05 and a 12 month high of $182.00. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $156.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $157.48.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.16 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.77% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.94 earnings per share. Sprouts Farmers Market has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.200-5.320 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 1.120-1.160 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sprouts Farmers Market declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, August 19th that permits the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on SFM. Roth Capital set a $155.00 target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group set a $180.00 target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $159.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $175.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $173.73.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company Profile

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.