Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Shares Bought by AGF Management Ltd.

Key Points

• AGF Management Ltd. increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 10.0% in the first quarter, owning 206,041 shares valued at approximately $31.45 million.
• Sprouts Farmers Market reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.35, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.23, with revenue totaling $2.22 billion for the quarter.
• Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" to an "overweight" rating, raising the target price to $180.00.

AGF Management Ltd. raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 10.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 206,041 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,672 shares during the period. AGF Management Ltd. owned about 0.21% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $31,450,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 92.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 192 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the first quarter valued at $30,000. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 111.3% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 319 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter valued at $63,000.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, 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 transaction of $440,755.59. Following the sale, the director directly owned 14,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,250,149.58. This trade represents a 16.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.38, for a total value of $328,760.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 13,263 shares in the company, valued at $2,180,171.94. This represents a 13.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 77,225 shares of company stock worth $12,425,983. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Barclays upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $173.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $172.20.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM traded down $1.65 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $146.18. 3,032,587 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,502,648. The firm has a market cap of $14.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.08, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.78. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.25 and a 52-week high of $182.00. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $160.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $158.67.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.77%. The company's revenue was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.94 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.