Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Stock Price Down 4.3% - Should You Sell?

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report)'s stock price fell 4.3% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $165.51 and last traded at $165.81. Approximately 355,225 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 1,479,924 shares. The stock had previously closed at $173.29.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on SFM. Northcoast Research upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $167.79.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $15.87 billion, a PE ratio of 36.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm's 50-day moving average is $165.62 and its 200-day moving average is $153.80.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.20 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 34.20% and a net margin of 5.53%. Sprouts Farmers Market's revenue for the quarter was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, insider John Scott Neal sold 17,721 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.89, for a total value of $2,851,131.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,281,098.42. This represents a 55.55% 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, COO Nicholas Konat sold 20,270 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.50, for a total value of $3,395,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 55,675 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,325,562.50. This trade represents a 26.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 72,905 shares of company stock valued at $11,963,931. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 55.0% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 20,722 shares of the company's stock worth $2,633,000 after acquiring an additional 7,355 shares during the period. Unified Investment Management bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,161,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 181,364 shares of the company's stock worth $23,046,000 after buying an additional 37,637 shares in the last quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 145.8% during the fourth quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 20,342 shares of the company's stock worth $2,585,000 after acquiring an additional 12,067 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the first quarter worth $270,000.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company Profile

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.