Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Sets New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $69.29 and last traded at $69.5550, with a volume of 852825 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.46.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on SFM shares. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $185.00 to $122.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 21st. Bank of America decreased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $200.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $91.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market from $124.00 to $91.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.38.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.67, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $79.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $108.80.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.05. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 38.03% and a net margin of 5.93%.The firm had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.91 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Sprouts Farmers Market

In related news, CMO Alisa Gmelich sold 3,161 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.39, for a total transaction of $250,951.79. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 5,552 shares in the company, valued at $440,773.28. This represents a 36.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider John Scott Neal sold 17,471 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.20, for a total value of $1,488,529.20. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 14,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,207,965.60. This represents a 55.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 98.6% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000.

About Sprouts Farmers Market

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.