Douglas Gregory Rauch Sells 1,000 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Stock

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 1,000 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.25, for a total transaction of $140,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,598 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,486,369.50. This represents a 8.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

SFM opened at $142.39 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $150.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.50. The company has a market cap of $14.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $61.61 and a 52-week high of $178.99.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its quarterly 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.96 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on SFM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $162.92.

Institutional Trading of Sprouts Farmers Market

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 80.6% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter.

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.