Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Grows Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• Clark Capital Management Group boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 386.2% in Q3, buying 234,295 shares to hold 294,968 shares (about 0.30% ownership) valued at roughly $32.09 million.
• Company insiders, including directors Kristen E. Blum and Joel D. Anderson, made recent purchases in March, increasing their holdings and contributing to insiders owning 1.10% of the stock.
• Sprouts beat Q4 EPS estimates with $0.92 (vs. $0.89) and set FY2026 guidance of $5.280–$5.440, while analysts are mixed but the MarketBeat consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $101.75.

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 386.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 294,968 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 234,295 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. owned approximately 0.30% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $32,093,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SFM. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 7,900 shares of the company's stock worth $864,000 after buying an additional 1,415 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 4.1% in the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 204,702 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,272,000 after acquiring an additional 8,103 shares during the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter valued at about $855,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 21.5% during the third quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 109,735 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,939,000 after acquiring an additional 19,444 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 12.0% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 131,881 shares of the company's stock worth $14,349,000 after acquiring an additional 14,147 shares during the last quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kristen E. Blum purchased 1,325 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $76.00 per share, with a total value of $100,700.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 54,407 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,134,932. This represents a 2.50% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Joel D. Anderson acquired 4,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $77.17 per share, for a total transaction of $339,548.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 24,802 shares in the company, valued at $1,913,970.34. This represents a 21.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on SFM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $88.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $108.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $88.00 to $77.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $101.75.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

SFM stock opened at $82.06 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $7.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.93. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.75 and a 1 year high of $182.00. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $90.20.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.15 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 38.21% and a net margin of 5.95%.Sprouts Farmers Market's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.79 EPS. Sprouts Farmers Market has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.280-5.440 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.660-1.700 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sprouts Farmers Market Profile

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.

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