FORA Capital LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• FORA Capital LLC reduced its stock holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. by 48.7%, now owning 18,642 shares valued at approximately $2.85 million.
• Several hedge funds have increased their holdings, with notable growth from Assenagon Asset Management S.A. by1,033.4%, indicating changing investor sentiment towards the company.
• Sprouts Farmers Market recently set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.200-5.320 EPS and announced a stock buyback plan, suggesting confidence in its stock value.

FORA Capital LLC lowered its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 48.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,642 shares of the company's stock after selling 17,728 shares during the quarter. FORA Capital LLC's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $2,846,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,217,900 shares of the company's stock valued at $338,481,000 after purchasing an additional 15,930 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,033.4% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,476,351 shares of the company's stock valued at $225,350,000 after buying an additional 1,346,097 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,355,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $172,199,000 after buying an additional 160,882 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 300.3% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,037,187 shares of the company's stock valued at $158,316,000 after buying an additional 778,079 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.0% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 997,152 shares of the company's stock valued at $152,205,000 after buying an additional 10,059 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on SFM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of 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. Roth Capital set a $155.00 target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group set a $180.00 target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $173.73.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 4,045 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.76, for a total value of $634,094.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 174,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,392,242.40. This trade represents a 2.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.38, for a total transaction of $328,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 13,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,180,171.94. This trade represents a 13.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 55,589 shares of company stock valued at $8,926,483 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM opened at $144.28 on Wednesday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $157.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $157.76. The stock has a market cap of $14.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.78. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $96.05 and a fifty-two week high of $182.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.16 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.77% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The firm's revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.94 earnings per share. Sprouts Farmers Market has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.200-5.320 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 1.120-1.160 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Sprouts Farmers Market announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, August 19th that permits the company to repurchase $0.00 in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.

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