Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Director Joseph D. O'leary Sells 2,937 Shares

Key Points

• Joseph D. O'leary, a director at Sprouts Farmers Market, sold 2,937 shares at an average price of $150.07, reflecting a 16.38% decrease in his holdings, which now total approximately $2.25 million.
• Sprouts Farmers Market reported a quarterly earnings of $1.35 per share, exceeding estimates and showing a 17.3% revenue increase year-over-year, with total revenue reaching $2.22 billion.
• The stock received positive ratings from analysts, with price targets raised to as high as $185.00, resulting in an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.87.

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) Director Joseph D. O'leary sold 2,937 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.07, for a total transaction of $440,755.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 14,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,250,149.58. The trade was a 16.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

SFM traded down $2.30 on Friday, hitting $148.99. 1,033,815 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,740,759. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.15 and a fifty-two week high of $182.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.78. The business's fifty day moving average is $162.54 and its 200 day moving average is $158.63.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.16 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.77%. The company's revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. Analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Roth Capital set a $155.00 target price on Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised 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. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $175.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $173.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $171.87.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sprouts Farmers Market

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFM. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 92.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 192 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the first quarter worth about $30,000. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the first quarter worth about $36,000.

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.