Fulcrum Asset Management LLP Makes New $1.33 Million Investment in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• Fulcrum Asset Management LLP disclosed a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market, buying 16,733 shares valued at about $1.33 million in the fourth quarter.
• Several other institutional investors also added to or adjusted their stakes, while analysts remain mixed: the stock has a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $96.08.
• Sprouts reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.71 versus $1.67 expected and revenue of $2.33 billion; the company also guided FY2026 EPS to $5.32-$5.48.

Fulcrum Asset Management LLP bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 16,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,333,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,913,415 shares of the company's stock worth $789,802,000 after buying an additional 28,951 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 137.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,584,923 shares of the company's stock valued at $425,582,000 after purchasing an additional 1,494,014 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,323,216 shares of the company's stock valued at $186,647,000 after purchasing an additional 653,206 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 652.7% during the 3rd quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 1,411,246 shares of the company's stock valued at $153,544,000 after purchasing an additional 1,223,753 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 14.1% during the 3rd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,394,724 shares of the company's stock valued at $151,746,000 after purchasing an additional 172,256 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on SFM. Barclays cut their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $122.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Roth Mkm restated a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $104.00 to $92.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $96.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, COO Nicholas Konat sold 10,123 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.82, for a total transaction of $818,140.86. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 80,139 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,476,833.98. This represents a 11.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 57,644 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.82, for a total value of $4,658,788.08. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 277,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,462,706.70. This trade represents a 17.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 130,156 shares of company stock worth $10,600,146 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 1.5%

SFM stock opened at $86.96 on Friday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $77.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $77.95. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $64.75 and a fifty-two week high of $182.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.92. The company has a market cap of $8.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.68.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.04. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 36.06% and a net margin of 5.70%.The business had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sprouts Farmers Market has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.320-5.480 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.320-1.360 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 5.57 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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