Empowered Funds LLC Reduces Stock Position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC reduced its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 28.9%, resulting in the ownership of 45,592 shares, valued at approximately $6.96 million.
• Insider trading activity included CEO Jack Sinclair selling 4,045 shares and Senior VP Kim Coffin selling 651 shares, leading to a decrease in their respective ownership positions by 2.26% and 5.48%.
• Sprouts Farmers Market experienced a 17.3% year-over-year increase in revenue, reporting $2.22 billion for the most recent quarter while exceeding analysts' earnings estimates by $0.12.

Empowered Funds LLC cut its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 28.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,592 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,512 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $6,959,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ascent Group LLC bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the first quarter worth about $204,000. Axiom Investors LLC DE lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 25,834 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter worth approximately $952,000. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter worth approximately $633,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 6.9% in the first quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 26,204 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,000,000 after acquiring an additional 1,689 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, SVP Kim Coffin sold 651 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.58, for a total value of $92,168.58. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 11,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,590,651.30. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 7,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.95, for a total value of $1,000,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 16,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,271,693.55. The trade was a 30.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 43,368 shares of company stock valued at $6,545,125 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Down 1.3%

NASDAQ SFM traded down $1.74 on Friday, hitting $135.98. 1,549,002 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,524,196. The company has a market cap of $13.29 billion, a PE ratio of 27.98, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $151.04 and a 200-day moving average of $155.47. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $101.72 and a 12 month high of $182.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.12. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.77% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.94 earnings per share. 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, analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of 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. UBS Group set a $180.00 price target on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $173.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.