Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Upgraded at StockNews.com

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

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Melius Research began coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $118.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 0.4 %

Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $140.53 on Wednesday. Sprouts Farmers Market has a 1 year low of $48.98 and a 1 year high of $155.64. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $141.65 and its 200-day moving average is $116.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a market cap of $14.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.62, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.63.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.14. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 28.24%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.65 earnings per share. Sprouts Farmers Market’s revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.89, for a total value of $104,223.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,619,029.86. The trade was a 6.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.24, for a total value of $4,477,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 163,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,454,764.88. This trade represents a 15.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 58,934 shares of company stock valued at $8,370,950. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sprouts Farmers Market

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 167.4% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,555,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $130,107,000 after buying an additional 973,666 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2,577.7% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 452,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,980,000 after acquiring an additional 435,767 shares during the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter worth $31,712,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 314.8% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 223,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,727,000 after acquiring an additional 169,888 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter worth $18,259,000.

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.