Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Royal Bank Of Canada Analyst Says

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) had its price target increased by equities research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $173.00 to $176.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “sector perform” rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price objective points to a potential upside of 14.23% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Roth Capital set a $155.00 target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $173.00 to $185.00 in a report on Thursday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.53.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Sprouts Farmers Market stock opened at $154.08 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $163.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $158.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.06 billion, a PE ratio of 31.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.78. Sprouts Farmers Market has a 12-month low of $91.36 and a 12-month high of $182.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.12. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 5.77% and a return on equity of 36.53%. The business had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.16 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.94 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other Sprouts Farmers Market news, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 1,000 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.16, for a total transaction of $167,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,598 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,437,241.68. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Terri F. Graham sold 1,278 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $230,040.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 32,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,923,800. This trade represents a 3.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 65,743 shares of company stock worth $10,769,633. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sprouts Farmers Market

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 26.2% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 181,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,046,000 after buying an additional 37,637 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter valued at $270,000. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 145.8% in the 4th quarter. Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 20,342 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,585,000 after purchasing an additional 12,067 shares during the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 4th quarter valued at $2,618,000. Finally, Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 32.1% in the 4th quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 100,165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,728,000 after purchasing an additional 24,364 shares during the last quarter.

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.