Insider Selling: Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Director Sells 700 Shares of Stock

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.89, for a total value of $104,223.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 1.2 %

Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $147.79 on Friday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.74 and a 12 month high of $155.64. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $135.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $106.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a market cap of $14.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.71, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.58.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during 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 revenue for the quarter was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.65 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SFM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets upped 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 report on Thursday, October 31st. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $107.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $118.40.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SFM. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 223.5% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the second quarter valued at $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,425.8% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the period.

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.