Balefire LLC Acquires Shares of 2,381 Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• Balefire LLC has acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc., purchasing 2,381 shares valued at approximately $392,000 in the second quarter.
• Several analysts have **updated their ratings** on SFM, with Jefferies Financial Group upgrading the stock from "hold" to "buy" and setting a price target of **$190.00**.
• Insider trading activity has been notable, with two executives selling significant shares; **Dustin Hamilton** sold 7,200 shares and **Joe Fortunato** sold 10,000 shares, indicating decreased ownership in the company.

Balefire LLC bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,381 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $392,000.

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

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock traded down $2.34 during trading on Friday, hitting $120.41. 3,766,234 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,770,565. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.86. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1-year low of $104.45 and a 1-year high of $182.00. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $147.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $154.73.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.12. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.77%.The company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.94 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sprouts Farmers Market has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.200-5.320 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 1.120-1.160 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sprouts Farmers Market declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, August 19th that permits the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, CTO James H. Bahrenburg sold 4,292 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.06, for a total transaction of $588,261.52. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 9,167 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,256,429.02. This represents a 31.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Joe Fortunato sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.57, for a total value of $1,475,700.00. Following the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 39,561 shares of company stock worth $5,828,401. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SFM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on 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. UBS Group set a $180.00 price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays raised Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $173.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $159.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $173.73.

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.