Empirical Finance LLC Sells 15,903 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• Empirical Finance LLC reduced its Sprouts Farmers Market stake by 15.1% in the second quarter, selling 15,903 shares and retaining 89,384 shares valued at approximately $7.56 million.
• Several major institutions increased or initiated positions, including California State Teachers Retirement System, BlackRock, Norges Bank, Swedbank and Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss.
• Sprouts shares fell 6.5% to $76.11. The company recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, while analysts maintain an average “Hold” rating with a $92.25 price target.

Empirical Finance LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 15.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 89,384 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,903 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC owned 0.10% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $7,560,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 8,108.4% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 9,295,765 shares of the company's stock worth $786,236,000 after purchasing an additional 9,182,518 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the second quarter valued at about $768,171,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $161,398,000. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter worth approximately $121,906,000. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $131,310,000.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, Director Joseph O'Leary sold 2,597 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.57, for a total transaction of $214,434.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 14,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,214,604.70. This represents a 15.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 10,788 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.66, for a total value of $891,736.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 269,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,316,546.80. This represents a 3.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 47,499 shares of company stock valued at $4,060,237 over the last ninety days. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 6.5%

NASDAQ:SFM traded down $5.29 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $76.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,560,999 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,373,787. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.75 and a 1 year high of $139.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.67.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.02. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 34.84% and a net margin of 5.58%.The firm had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.32 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.35 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sprouts Farmers Market has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.200-1.240 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.320-5.400 EPS. Research analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 5.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $80.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $114.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Roth Capital set a $82.00 price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $92.25.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company 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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