StockNews.com Upgrades Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) to “Buy”

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on SFM. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Melius Research began coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $107.00 price target for the company. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $115.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

NASDAQ SFM opened at $154.48 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $126.21 and its 200-day moving average is $101.35. 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 company has a market capitalization of $15.45 billion, a PE ratio of 43.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.54. Sprouts Farmers Market has a 12-month low of $41.27 and a 12-month high of $155.64.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 28.24% and a net margin of 4.73%. Sprouts Farmers Market’s quarterly revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.65 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph L. Hurley sold 4,956 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.66, for a total value of $657,462.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,483,669.44. This represents a 30.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 1,997 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.20, for a total transaction of $198,102.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 26,172 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,596,262.40. This trade represents a 7.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 36,516 shares of company stock worth $4,465,466 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sprouts Farmers Market

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 3.6% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,917 shares of the company’s stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 5,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $605,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 26.3% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 605 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.8% in the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 18,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,566,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $402,000 after acquiring an additional 158 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.