Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) Short Interest Update

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 5,620,000 shares, a decrease of 15.5% from the February 13th total of 6,650,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,490,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.8 days. Currently, 5.7% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,915 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.54, for a total transaction of $488,379.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 143,669 shares in the company, valued at $24,070,304.26. This represents a 1.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Timmi Zalatoris sold 1,065 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.97, for a total transaction of $143,743.05. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 9,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,326,755.10. This trade represents a 9.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 79,653 shares of company stock valued at $11,080,042 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Sprouts Farmers Market by 93.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 115.4% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 265 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 84.1% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 289 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised 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 purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on SFM. Roth Mkm increased their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $105.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $163.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $119.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $162.92.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM opened at $140.82 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $150.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Sprouts Farmers Market has a 1 year low of $60.46 and a 1 year high of $178.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.88 billion, a PE ratio of 37.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.67.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last released its 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 company had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.96 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.93% and a return on equity of 29.86%. Analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

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.