Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Wednesday.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $174.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $167.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 1.0 %

SFM stock traded up $1.73 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $169.76. 2,465,388 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,422,340. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.15, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $145.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Sprouts Farmers Market has a 1 year low of $64.02 and a 1 year high of $178.99.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. The company had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.96 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, COO Nicholas Konat sold 11,283 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.13, for a total value of $1,614,935.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 55,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,968,762.75. This represents a 16.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.54, for a total transaction of $488,379.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 143,669 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,070,304.26. This trade represents a 1.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 96,764 shares of company stock worth $13,562,649. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 92.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 192 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter.

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.