Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 14,278 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management cut its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 77.5% in Q3, selling 14,278 shares and leaving it with 4,157 shares valued at about $452,000.
• Several big institutions ramped up holdings—most notably Bank of America, which now owns 2,584,923 shares (~$425.6M), while Marshall Wace, Invesco, Qube and Man Group also materially increased positions.
• Sprouts beat EPS estimates with $0.92 for the quarter, set FY2026 guidance of $5.280–$5.440 (Q1 guidance $1.660–$1.700), and the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $101.75 amid recent price-target cuts.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. decreased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 77.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,157 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,278 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $452,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SFM. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 137.0% during the second 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 last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 12.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,314,665 shares of the company's stock worth $381,086,000 after purchasing an additional 252,699 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 52.8% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,131,607 shares of the company's stock valued at $350,948,000 after buying an additional 737,008 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 157.3% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,248,891 shares of the company's stock valued at $205,617,000 after buying an additional 763,422 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 44.6% during the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,222,468 shares of the company's stock worth $201,267,000 after buying an additional 377,028 shares during the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of SFM stock opened at $76.45 on Thursday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12-month low of $64.75 and a 12-month high of $182.00. The company has a market capitalization of $7.23 billion, a PE ratio of 14.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $73.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $93.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.15 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 38.21% and a net margin of 5.95%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.79 earnings per share. Sprouts Farmers Market has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.280-5.440 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.660-1.700 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 3,161 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.39, for a total transaction of $250,951.79. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 5,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $440,773.28. This trade represents a 36.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $108.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Barclays lowered their price target 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $101.75.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SFM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.