First Trust Advisors LP Purchases 121,179 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 97.8% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 245,102 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 121,179 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $40,354,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFM. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the second quarter valued at about $198,080,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 300.3% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,037,187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $158,316,000 after purchasing an additional 778,079 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 52.8% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,131,607 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,948,000 after purchasing an additional 737,008 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the first quarter worth approximately $106,852,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 547.1% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 560,857 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,339,000 after purchasing an additional 474,178 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM opened at $83.24 on Wednesday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.75 and a 52-week high of $182.00. The company has a market capitalization of $8.11 billion, a PE ratio of 16.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.05. The company has a fifty day moving average of $92.51 and a 200-day moving average of $130.61.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.05. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 38.03% and a net margin of 5.93%.The business had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.91 EPS. Sprouts Farmers Market’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sprouts Farmers Market has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.240-5.280 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.860-0.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sprouts Farmers Market declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, August 19th that authorizes the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays reduced their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $122.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Zacks Research lowered Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $200.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $148.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $137.86.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, CTO James H. Bahrenburg sold 4,292 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.06, for a total value of $588,261.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 9,167 shares in the company, valued at $1,256,429.02. This trade represents a 31.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Scott Neal sold 17,471 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.20, for a total transaction of $1,488,529.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 14,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,207,965.60. This trade represents a 55.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 33,876 shares of company stock worth $3,588,044. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company Profile

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.