Vestcor Inc Sells 57,885 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Key Points

• Vestcor Inc reduced its Sprouts Farmers Market stake by 61.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 57,885 shares and leaving it with 35,752 shares worth about $2.85 million.
• Several other major investors also adjusted positions in SFM, with Vanguard, Bank of America, Nordea, Norges Bank, and Voloridge all reporting large holdings or increased stakes.
• Sprouts reported quarterly EPS of $1.71, topping expectations, while revenue came in slightly above forecasts at $2.33 billion. Despite that, analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average price target of $96.08.

Vestcor Inc cut its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) by 61.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,752 shares of the company's stock after selling 57,885 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc's holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $2,848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,913,415 shares of the company's stock valued at $789,802,000 after acquiring an additional 28,951 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 137.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,584,923 shares of the company's stock valued at $425,582,000 after acquiring an additional 1,494,014 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,323,216 shares of the company's stock valued at $186,647,000 after acquiring an additional 653,206 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $161,398,000. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 652.7% during the 3rd quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 1,411,246 shares of the company's stock valued at $153,544,000 after acquiring an additional 1,223,753 shares during the period.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SFM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America cut their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $104.00 to $92.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Friday, March 27th. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Melius Research downgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $96.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, insider Joseph L. Hurley sold 323 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.97, for a total transaction of $27,122.31. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 28,282 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,374,839.54. This represents a 1.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Kim Coffin sold 313 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.97, for a total value of $26,282.61. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 23,332 shares in the company, valued at $1,959,188.04. This trade represents a 1.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 130,156 shares of company stock worth $10,600,146. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 3.4%

SFM stock opened at $82.87 on Friday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1-year low of $64.75 and a 1-year high of $173.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The company has a market capitalization of $7.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.94, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.67. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $79.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.92.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.32 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 36.06% and a net margin of 5.70%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. Sprouts Farmers Market has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.320-5.480 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.320-1.360 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 5.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Sprouts Farmers Market

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc NASDAQ: SFM is a specialty grocery retailer focused on fresh, natural and organic foods. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, the company operates stores designed to offer an open-market shopping experience, emphasizing quality produce sourced from regional farmers alongside organic pantry staples, dairy, meat and seafood. Sprouts' product assortment also includes bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, a deli and prepared foods, reflecting its commitment to wellness and affordable healthy living.

Founded in 2002 by members of the Boney family, Sprouts began as a single farmers market in Chandler, Arizona.

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