LSV Asset Management Reduces Stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

LSV Asset Management trimmed its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 25.1% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 3,198,008 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,069,402 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $206,208,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on SFM shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $31.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $48.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $68.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $78.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Monday, April 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $66.50.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM traded down $0.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $82.63. The company had a trading volume of 855,057 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,320,233. The company has a fifty day moving average of $78.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $64.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.55. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $36.21 and a 12 month high of $84.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.85 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 26.77%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.98 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, insider Brandon F. Lombardi sold 5,174 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.97, for a total transaction of $387,894.78. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $453,718.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.38, for a total transaction of $476,433.32. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 245,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,452,113.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Brandon F. Lombardi sold 5,174 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.97, for a total transaction of $387,894.78. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $453,718.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 66,147 shares of company stock valued at $4,999,299 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.