Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Purchases 57,160 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• The Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio significantly increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 2,469.1% in the second quarter, acquiring an additional 57,160 shares to reach a total of 59,475 shares valued at $9.79 million.
• Several hedge funds, including Whipplewood Advisors LLC and Brooklyn Investment Group, have also made significant adjustments to their holdings of Sprouts Farmers Market shares in recent quarters.
• Analysts have set a price target for Sprouts Farmers Market ranging from $176.00 to $190.00, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" as the stock continues to trade below its 52-week high.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 2,469.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,475 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 57,160 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned 0.06% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $9,792,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of SFM. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 12,100.0% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 244 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Kim Coffin sold 651 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.58, for a total transaction of $92,168.58. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 11,235 shares in the company, valued at $1,590,651.30. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Joe Fortunato sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.57, for a total value of $1,475,700.00. Following the sale, the director owned 18,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,680,461.48. This represents a 35.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 39,561 shares of company stock valued at $5,828,401. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on SFM shares. UBS Group set a $180.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $175.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 21st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.64.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 1.3%

NASDAQ SFM opened at $109.88 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $10.74 billion, a PE ratio of 22.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.86. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $107.36 and a 52 week high of $182.00. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $142.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $154.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.77% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The company's revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. Sprouts Farmers Market has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.200-5.320 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 1.120-1.160 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Sprouts Farmers Market announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, August 19th that authorizes the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding 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 leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.

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