Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $115.40.

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "hold" rating and a $105.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $63.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 29th.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM traded up $1.78 during trading on Friday, reaching $130.21. The company had a trading volume of 2,282,329 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,206,718. Sprouts Farmers Market has a fifty-two week low of $39.98 and a fifty-two week high of $135.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $110.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $91.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.54.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.88 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.65 EPS. Sprouts Farmers Market's revenue was up 13.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market will post 3.67 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 921 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.60, for a total transaction of $104,625.60. Following the sale, the insider now owns 25,251 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,868,513.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Dustin Hamilton sold 921 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.60, for a total transaction of $104,625.60. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 25,251 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,868,513.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.41, for a total transaction of $642,310.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,004 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,718,959.64. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 57,543 shares of company stock valued at $5,751,870. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sprouts Farmers Market

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.0% during the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 24,896 shares of the company's stock worth $1,605,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Norden Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter worth $802,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 28.3% in the 1st quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 14,047 shares of the company's stock worth $906,000 after buying an additional 3,095 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 21.3% in the first quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 43,135 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,781,000 after acquiring an additional 7,570 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the first quarter valued at about $223,000.

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.