Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM Stock Position Lifted by Comerica Bank

Key Points

• Comerica Bank increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 143.4%, acquiring a total of 67,361 additional shares in the first quarter, now holding a total of 114,338 shares worth approximately $17.45 million.
• Various hedge funds have significantly boosted their investments in Sprouts Farmers Market, with Assenagon Asset Management leading with a 1,033.4% increase during the same period, now owning over 1.47 million shares valued at approximately $225.35 million.
• Analyst ratings for Sprouts Farmers Market show eight "Buy" ratings and seven "Hold" ratings, with an average target price of $173.73 for the stock, reflecting a consensus view of positive growth prospects.

Comerica Bank boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 143.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 114,338 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 67,361 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank owned about 0.12% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $17,453,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.2% in the 1st 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 period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 92.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 192 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,899 shares of the company's stock worth $748,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. JT Stratford LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Joseph D. O'leary sold 2,937 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.07, for a total transaction of $440,755.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 14,994 shares in the company, valued at $2,250,149.58. This represents a 16.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Terri F. Graham sold 1,278 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $230,040.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 32,910 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 35,319 shares of company stock worth $5,531,258 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on SFM shares. Roth Capital set a $155.00 price target on Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Barclays raised Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $173.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $159.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $175.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $173.73.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 2.2%

SFM traded down $3.17 during trading on Thursday, reaching $141.42. 1,840,239 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,738,635. The stock has a market cap of $13.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.10, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.78. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $156.73 and a 200 day moving average of $157.48. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $96.05 and a 52 week high of $182.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.77%.The firm's revenue was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. 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, analysts forecast 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 initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, August 19th that allows the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Sprouts Farmers Market 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.