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

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Monday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $132.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $167.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market Trading Up 6.2 %

NASDAQ SFM opened at $153.66 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $151.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.06 billion, a PE ratio of 40.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.87. Sprouts Farmers Market has a 52 week low of $61.61 and a 52 week high of $178.99. 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 (NASDAQ:SFM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.96 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 29.86% and a net margin of 4.93%. As a group, research analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 1,065 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.97, for a total value of $143,743.05. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,830 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,326,755.10. The trade was a 9.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total value of $407,201.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 149,499 shares in the company, valued at $20,741,491.26. This trade represents a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 96,784 shares of company stock valued at $13,534,466 over the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sprouts Farmers Market

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SFM. RFG Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 8,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,322,000 after acquiring an additional 615 shares during the last quarter. Anderson Hoagland & Co. purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter valued at $2,866,000. Milestone Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the first quarter worth approximately $257,000. Green Alpha Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 87.5% during the 1st quarter. Green Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 24,677 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,767,000 after purchasing an additional 11,514 shares during the period. Finally, Wallace Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter valued at $360,000.

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.