Candriam S.C.A. Sells 13,512 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. has decreased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. by 29.0% in the first quarter, resulting in 33,026 shares owned after selling 13,512 shares.
• Several analysts have updated their ratings for the company, with Wells Fargo upgrading Sprouts Farmers Market to "overweight" and increasing the price target from $175.00 to $180.00.
• In its latest earnings report, Sprouts Farmers Market achieved an EPS of $1.35, surpassing expectations, with revenue of $2.22 billion, which was above the forecasted $2.16 billion.

Candriam S.C.A. cut its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 29.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 33,026 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,512 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $5,041,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 92.0% in 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 period. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 12,100.0% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 244 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 111.3% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 319 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Joseph D. O'leary sold 2,937 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.07, for a total value of $440,755.59. Following the sale, the director directly owned 14,994 shares in the company, valued at $2,250,149.58. This represents a 16.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 4,054 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.45, for a total value of $650,464.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 174,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,037,033. This represents a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 55,589 shares of company stock valued at $8,926,483. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. 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 research note on Friday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $159.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $173.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $173.73.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ SFM traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $144.59. 699,533 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,725,141. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $157.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $157.76. The stock has a market cap of $14.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.75, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.78. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a one year low of $96.05 and a one year high of $182.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $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. On average, 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 initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, August 19th that authorizes the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Sprouts Farmers Market 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.