Baird Financial Group Inc. Takes $301,000 Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by purchasing 1,975 shares valued at approximately $301,000 during the first quarter.
• Sprouts Farmers Market reported a 17.3% increase in revenue year-over-year, achieving $2.22 billion for the quarter, alongside earnings per share of $1.35, exceeding analysts' expectations.
• Multiple analysts have recently upgraded their ratings on Sprouts Farmers Market, with price targets now ranging between $180.00 and $195.00, indicating strong market confidence in the stock.

Baird Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,975 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $301,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.2% in the first quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 7,201 shares of the company's stock worth $1,099,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 92.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 192 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.1% during the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,899 shares of the company's stock valued at $748,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. JT Stratford LLC lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. JT Stratford LLC now owns 11,091 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,409,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 3.0% during the first quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,492 shares of the company's stock valued at $533,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ SFM traded down $1.74 during trading on Friday, reaching $135.98. 1,549,002 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,524,196. The business's 50-day moving average price is $151.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.47. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a twelve month low of $101.72 and a twelve month high of $182.00. The company has a market capitalization of $13.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.86.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.12. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.77% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The business had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.94 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sprouts Farmers Market announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, August 19th that authorizes the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on SFM. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $175.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Barclays raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $173.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, UBS Group set a $180.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $173.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Kim Coffin sold 651 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.58, for a total value of $92,168.58. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 11,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,590,651.30. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 4,045 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.60, for a total transaction of $560,637.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 174,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,218,964. This trade represents a 2.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 43,368 shares of company stock valued at $6,545,125. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.