Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Cut to “Sell” at Melius Research

Melius Research cut shares of Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $70.00 price objective on the stock.

SFM has been the topic of several other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $111.00 price target on Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $140.00 to $114.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 20th. Barclays lowered their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $122.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $104.00 to $92.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Sprouts Farmers Market from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $88.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $99.31.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

Shares of SFM opened at $75.75 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $74.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $83.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.93. Sprouts Farmers Market has a 52-week low of $64.75 and a 52-week high of $182.00.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.03. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 38.21% and a net margin of 5.95%.The business had revenue of $2.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sprouts Farmers Market has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.280-5.440 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.660-1.700 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Sprouts Farmers Market will post 4.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, COO Nicholas Konat sold 10,123 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.82, for a total transaction of $818,140.86. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 80,139 shares in the company, valued at $6,476,833.98. This trade represents a 11.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider David Mcglinchey sold 4,872 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.82, for a total value of $393,755.04. Following the transaction, the insider owned 48,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,938,924.34. The trade was a 9.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 129,750 shares of company stock worth $10,566,838 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sprouts Farmers Market

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 98.6% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1,309.1% in the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company Profile

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc (NASDAQ: SFM) is a specialty grocery retailer focused on fresh, natural and organic foods. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, the company operates stores designed to offer an open-market shopping experience, emphasizing quality produce sourced from regional farmers alongside organic pantry staples, dairy, meat and seafood. Sprouts’ product assortment also includes bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, a deli and prepared foods, reflecting its commitment to wellness and affordable healthy living.

Founded in 2002 by members of the Boney family, Sprouts began as a single farmers market in Chandler, Arizona.