Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in Sprout Social, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPT)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Sprout Social, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 139,886 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,296,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.24% of Sprout Social as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Sprout Social during the 4th quarter worth $233,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in shares of Sprout Social by 96.4% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 110,600 shares of the company's stock worth $3,397,000 after purchasing an additional 54,300 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Sprout Social by 49.9% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 14,459 shares of the company's stock valued at $444,000 after buying an additional 4,811 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its position in Sprout Social by 110.7% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 454,162 shares of the company's stock worth $13,947,000 after buying an additional 238,650 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprout Social by 44.3% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 62,176 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,909,000 after acquiring an additional 19,098 shares during the period.

Sprout Social Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SPT traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $21.88. 949,905 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 633,135. The company's 50 day moving average price is $21.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.33. Sprout Social, Inc. has a 12 month low of $18.52 and a 12 month high of $39.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of -18.23 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Sprout Social (NASDAQ:SPT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.07. Sprout Social had a negative return on equity of 40.94% and a negative net margin of 17.24%. The company had revenue of $109.29 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $107.63 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.10 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Sprout Social, Inc. will post -0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Justyn Russell Howard sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.81, for a total transaction of $832,400.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,417 shares of the company's stock, valued at $154,347.77. This trade represents a 84.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Aaron Edward Frederick Rankin sold 23,646 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.58, for a total value of $581,218.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 42,122 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,035,358.76. This represents a 35.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 125,446 shares of company stock worth $2,644,639. 10.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SPT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $32.00 price objective on shares of Sprout Social in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Sprout Social from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Sprout Social from $45.00 to $34.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Sprout Social from $30.00 to $22.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price target on Sprout Social from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sprout Social presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $31.69.

Sprout Social Company Profile

Sprout Social, Inc designs, develops, and operates a web-based social media management platform in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company provides cloud software for social messaging, data and workflows in a unified system of record, intelligence, and action.