Analysts Set Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Price Target at $32.57

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM – Get Rating) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.57.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on SFM shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 3rd. Roth Capital reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Friday, March 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $21.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 8th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider David Mcglinchey sold 8,321 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.85, for a total transaction of $273,344.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 43,151 shares in the company, valued at $1,417,510.35. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 66,709 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.85, for a total value of $2,191,390.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 290,928 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,556,984.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider David Mcglinchey sold 8,321 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.85, for a total transaction of $273,344.85. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 43,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,417,510.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 116,453 shares of company stock worth $3,836,464. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sprouts Farmers Market

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 398.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,171 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 936 shares during the period. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 162.5% during the 4th quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 1,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 36.3% during the 2nd quarter. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.11% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $32.31 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.33 billion, a PE ratio of 13.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.39. Sprouts Farmers Market has a 12-month low of $22.56 and a 12-month high of $35.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.11.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 2nd. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.08% and a return on equity of 25.40%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.32 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market will post 2.52 EPS for the current year.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company Profile

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Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc engages in the operation of healthy grocery stores. The firm specializes in fresh, natural and organic products. Its products include fresh produce, bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, grocery, meat and seafood, deli, bakery, dairy, frozen foods, body care and natural household items.