MetLife Investment Management LLC Raises Holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 90.9% in Q1, now owning approximately 0.22% of the company valued at $33.5 million.
• The company's stock price recently opened at $146.28, with a market capitalization of $14.30 billion and a P/E ratio of 30.10.
• Sprouts Farmers Market reported $1.35 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations and showing a 17.3% year-over-year revenue increase.

MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 90.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 219,384 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 104,438 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned 0.22% of Sprouts Farmers Market worth $33,487,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Axiom Investors LLC DE grew its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 50.9% during the 1st quarter. Axiom Investors LLC DE now owns 76,573 shares of the company's stock worth $11,688,000 after purchasing an additional 25,834 shares in the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 429.0% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,280 shares of the company's stock worth $501,000 after purchasing an additional 2,660 shares in the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. grew its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,904 shares of the company's stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atika Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter worth $714,000.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 4,045 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.76, for a total transaction of $634,094.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 174,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,392,242.40. This trade represents a 2.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Joe Fortunato sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.57, for a total value of $1,475,700.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 18,164 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,680,461.48. The trade was a 35.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 55,589 shares of company stock worth $8,926,483 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ SFM traded up $0.31 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $144.59. The stock had a trading volume of 1,060,335 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,788,047. The firm has a market cap of $14.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.75, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.78. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $96.05 and a fifty-two week high of $182.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $157.14 and a 200-day moving average of $157.67.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.94 EPS. The business's revenue was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sprouts Farmers Market has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.200-5.320 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 1.120-1.160 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Sprouts Farmers Market announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, August 19th that authorizes the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on SFM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $159.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Roth Capital set a $155.00 price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group set a $180.00 price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $173.73.

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.