Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Trading 3.7% Higher - Time to Buy?

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) rose 3.7% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $170.95 and last traded at $170.33. Approximately 633,993 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 1,440,674 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.30.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on 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 boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $195.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $167.79.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $16.98 billion, a PE ratio of 46.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $160.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $151.52.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.27. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 445 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total value of $61,151.90. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 4,436 shares in the company, valued at $609,595.12. This represents a 9.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 49,898 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.42, for a total value of $6,856,983.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 189,449 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,034,081.58. This represents a 20.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 149,547 shares of company stock worth $22,307,280. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sprouts Farmers Market

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the first quarter valued at approximately $3,297,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 33.9% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 65,743 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,029,000 after acquiring an additional 16,643 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the first quarter valued at approximately $400,000. Integrity Alliance LLC. acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the first quarter valued at approximately $411,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.8% in the first 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 period.

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.