Headlands Technologies LLC Invests $453,000 in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Key Points

• Headlands Technologies LLC purchased 2,970 shares valued at approximately $453,000 in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. during the first quarter.
• Sprouts Farmers Market reported $1.35 earnings per share, exceeding expectations, and achieved a revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter.
• Analysts have upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market's stock rating with several firms setting price targets in the range of $155.00 to $190.00, indicating a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,970 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $453,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 92.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 192 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 111.3% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 319 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter worth about $63,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on SFM shares. UBS Group set a $180.00 price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $175.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Barclays upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $173.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Roth Capital set a $155.00 price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $172.20.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of SFM traded down $2.57 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $145.27. The stock had a trading volume of 1,657,910 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,734,938. The company has a market cap of $14.20 billion, a PE ratio of 29.91, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.78. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $160.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $158.76. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $95.25 and a fifty-two week high of $182.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, COO Nicholas Konat sold 20,270 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.50, for a total value of $3,395,225.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 55,675 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,325,562.50. The trade was a 26.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider John Scott Neal sold 17,721 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.89, for a total value of $2,851,131.69. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 14,178 shares in the company, valued at $2,281,098.42. This represents a 55.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 67,225 shares of company stock worth $10,950,283 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company Profile

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.