Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs Group Inc. reduced its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. by 26.1%, leaving it with approximately 1.79% ownership worth about $267.8 million.
• Several hedge funds, including Dimensional Fund Advisors and Wellington Management Group, increased their positions in Sprouts Farmers Market during the same quarter, indicating varying investor sentiment.
• Sprouts Farmers Market's stock has seen analyst upgrades, including a rating increase to "buy" from Jefferies Financial Group, and has a current average price target of $173.73.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 26.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,754,548 shares of the company's stock after selling 619,138 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned approximately 1.79% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $267,814,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,217,900 shares of the company's stock valued at $338,481,000 after acquiring an additional 15,930 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,033.4% in the 1st 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 during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 300.3% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,037,187 shares of the company's stock valued at $158,316,000 after acquiring an additional 778,079 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 10,059 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 971,380 shares of the company's stock valued at $148,271,000 after acquiring an additional 28,595 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on SFM. Jefferies Financial Group raised Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $159.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, UBS Group set a $180.00 price target on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $173.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 4,045 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.60, for a total value of $560,637.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 174,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,218,964. 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph D. O'leary sold 2,937 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.07, for a total value of $440,755.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 14,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,250,149.58. The trade was a 16.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 39,083 shares of company stock valued at $6,002,515. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of SFM stock opened at $136.01 on Wednesday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1-year low of $98.56 and a 1-year high of $182.00. The stock's 50-day moving average is $152.58 and its 200 day moving average is $155.69. The company has a market cap of $13.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.99, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.86.

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

Sprouts Farmers Market declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 19th that authorizes the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's management 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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