Fox Run Management L.L.C. Trims Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• Fox Run Management L.L.C. has drastically reduced its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 85.7%, ending the first quarter with just 2,271 shares valued at $347,000.
• Multiple institutional investors have significantly increased their holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, with Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosting its position by over 1,000% during the same period.
• The company's recent performance showed earnings of $1.35 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts’ expectations and contributing to a 17.3% increase in revenue year-over-year.

Fox Run Management L.L.C. lessened its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 85.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,271 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,616 shares during the quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C.'s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $347,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,033.4% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,346,097 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,355,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $172,199,000 after purchasing an additional 160,882 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 997,152 shares of the company's stock valued at $152,205,000 after purchasing an additional 10,059 shares during the period. Driehaus Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 942,785 shares of the company's stock worth $119,800,000 after buying an additional 46,258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 901,150 shares of the company's stock worth $114,509,000 after buying an additional 123,247 shares in the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of SFM stock traded down $2.13 during trading on Friday, hitting $146.28. 1,731,330 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,736,605. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $158.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $158.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.78. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share 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 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 quarterly revenue was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $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, equities research analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Sprouts Farmers Market declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 19th that allows the company to repurchase $0.00 in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, Director Joseph D. O'leary sold 2,937 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.07, for a total value of $440,755.59. Following the sale, the director directly owned 14,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,250,149.58. This trade represents a 16.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Joe Fortunato sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.57, for a total value of $1,475,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,164 shares in the company, valued at $2,680,461.48. This represents a 35.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 55,589 shares of company stock valued at $8,926,483. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SFM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Wednesday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $159.00 price objective for the company. Barclays upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $173.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. UBS Group set a $180.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $175.00 to $180.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.