Brokerages Set Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Target Price at $171.53

Key Points

• Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has received an average analyst rating of "Hold", with eight analysts rating it as such and seven issuing buy ratings.
• The average one-year price target among analysts covering Sprouts Farmers Market is approximately $171.53, reflecting varied expectations for the stock's performance.
• The company reported quarterly earnings exceeding analysts' expectations, with a revenue of $2.22 billion and an earnings per share of $1.35, up from $0.94 the previous year.

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $171.8667.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on SFM. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $190.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group set a $180.00 price target on Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Roth Capital set a $155.00 price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Sprouts Farmers Market from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $175.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Tuesday.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFM traded down $1.92 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $149.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 323,968 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,735,788. The stock has a market cap of $14.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.78. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $162.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.63. Sprouts Farmers Market has a one year low of $94.15 and a one year high of $182.00.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 4,045 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.76, for a total value of $634,094.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 174,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,392,242.40. This represents a 2.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Terri F. Graham sold 1,278 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $230,040.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 32,910 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,923,800. The trade was a 3.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 70,725 shares of company stock valued at $11,511,003. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SFM. ABN Amro Investment Solutions bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 2nd quarter valued at $22,095,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey lifted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 70.7% during the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 37,237 shares of the company's stock worth $6,131,000 after buying an additional 15,420 shares during the last quarter. M&G PLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 2nd quarter worth about $10,632,000. KBC Group NV grew its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 68.5% in the 2nd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 7,322 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,205,000 after buying an additional 2,976 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 76.2% in the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,811 shares of the company's stock valued at $298,000 after acquiring an additional 783 shares during the period.

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.