Strs Ohio Makes New $3.30 Million Investment in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• Strs Ohio made a new investment of approximately $3.30 million in Sprouts Farmers Market, acquiring 21,600 shares of the company.
• Several institutional investors, including Acadian Asset Management LLC and UBS AM, have increased their stakes in Sprouts Farmers Market, reflecting growing confidence in the company's potential.
• Recent insider sales have occurred, with Joe Fortunato and Dustin Hamilton selling significant amounts of stock, indicating potential shifts in insider sentiment.

Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 21,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,297,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 33.9% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 65,743 shares of the company's stock worth $10,029,000 after purchasing an additional 16,643 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter worth approximately $400,000. Integrity Alliance LLC. bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter worth approximately $411,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,331,176 shares of the company's stock valued at $203,191,000 after acquiring an additional 36,548 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ascent Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $204,000.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sprouts Farmers Market 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 sale, the director owned 18,164 shares in the company, valued at $2,680,461.48. This trade represents a 35.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 7,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.95, for a total value of $1,000,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 39,561 shares of company stock valued at $5,828,401. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 5.2%

SFM stock opened at $128.88 on Tuesday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $150.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $155.42. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a twelve month low of $101.80 and a twelve month high of $182.00. The firm has a market cap of $12.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.52, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.87.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released 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. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.77%.The business had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.94 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sprouts Farmers Market has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.200-5.320 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 1.120-1.160 EPS. Research analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on SFM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $159.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. UBS Group set a $180.00 target price on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.

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