Invenomic Capital Management LP Buys Shares of 287,681 Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Invenomic Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 287,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,840,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the 4th quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 1,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of SFM traded down $1.27 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $75.76. The stock had a trading volume of 788,436 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,330,812. The firm has a market cap of $7.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.97, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.50. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.01 and a 12 month high of $82.96. The business has a fifty day moving average of $71.46 and a 200 day moving average of $59.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during 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 company’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.98 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.48, for a total value of $392,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 52,966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,156,771.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Joe Fortunato sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.48, for a total transaction of $392,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 52,966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,156,771.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.40, for a total transaction of $249,600.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,990 shares in the company, valued at approximately $685,776. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 157,945 shares of company stock valued at $10,559,002. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on SFM shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $48.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Monday, April 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $56.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $31.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $30.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $57.25.

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.