Flputnam Investment Management Co. Sells 5,066 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• Flputnam Investment Management Co. has reduced its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 39.0%, holding 7,909 shares valued at approximately $1.2 million after selling off 5,066 shares.
• Several institutional investors, including Dimensional Fund Advisors and Wellington Management Group, have significantly increased their positions in Sprouts Farmers Market, indicating growing confidence in the company.
• On the earnings front, Sprouts Farmers Market reported a 17.3% increase in quarterly revenue year-over-year, beating earnings estimates with $1.35 EPS against a forecasted $1.23 EPS.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. lessened its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 39.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,909 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,066 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.'s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $1,207,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,217,900 shares of the company's stock valued at $338,481,000 after acquiring an additional 15,930 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,033.4% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,476,351 shares of the company's stock worth $225,350,000 after purchasing an additional 1,346,097 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 300.3% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,037,187 shares of the company's stock worth $158,316,000 after purchasing an additional 778,079 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.0% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 997,152 shares of the company's stock worth $152,205,000 after purchasing an additional 10,059 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 3.0% during the first quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 971,380 shares of the company's stock worth $148,271,000 after purchasing an additional 28,595 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SFM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. UBS Group set a $180.00 price target on Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $159.00 price target on the stock. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, August 12th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $173.73.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 0.9%

NASDAQ SFM traded down $1.24 on Friday, reaching $138.83. The company had a trading volume of 1,358,086 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,515,252. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.86. The company's fifty day moving average is $153.61 and its 200 day moving average is $156.09. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52-week low of $97.61 and a 52-week high of $182.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.77%.Sprouts Farmers Market's quarterly revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. 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, research analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Sprouts Farmers Market declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 19th that allows the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,164 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,680,461.48. This represents a 35.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.38, for a total value of $328,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 13,263 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,180,171.94. This trade represents a 13.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,737 shares of company stock worth $5,954,023 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.