Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Sets New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as low as $60.80 and last traded at $62.2040, with a volume of 2,547,037 shares. The stock had previously closed at $64.41.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SFM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $74.00 price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $94.00 price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $114.00 to $111.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, September 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $87.92.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.67. The company has a market cap of $5.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.93, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.67.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.02. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 34.84% and a net margin of 5.58%. The business had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.32 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.35 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 10,788 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.80, for a total value of $936,398.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 269,980 shares in the company, valued at $23,434,264. This trade represents a 3.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Joseph D. O’leary sold 2,597 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.57, for a total value of $214,434.29. Following the sale, the director directly owned 14,710 shares in the company, valued at $1,214,604.70. This trade represents a 15.01% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 46,041 shares of company stock valued at $3,460,383 in the last quarter. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sprouts Farmers Market

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 38,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,523,000 after purchasing an additional 5,100 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter valued at $577,000. Access Investment Management LLC increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 145.8% during the third quarter. Access Investment Management LLC now owns 35,699 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,369,000 after buying an additional 21,175 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 49.1% during the third quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG now owns 137,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,103,000 after buying an additional 45,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 13.8% during the third quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 56,227 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,731,000 after buying an additional 6,800 shares in the last quarter.

About Sprouts Farmers Market

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc (NASDAQ:SFM) is a specialty grocery retailer focused on fresh, natural and organic foods. Its stores offer a broad selection of fresh produce, meat and seafood, dairy products, bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, pantry staples, bakery items, deli products and prepared foods. The company emphasizes products that support healthy eating, including organic, plant-based and specialty-diet options.

Founded in 2002, Sprouts Farmers Market grew from its first store in Chandler, Arizona, into a national grocery chain.