Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $166.36 and last traded at $165.85, with a volume of 1349740 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $159.75.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SFM has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market from $102.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $119.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Up 0.3 %

The company has a market capitalization of $16.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.12, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.13. The business’s 50 day moving average is $143.83 and its 200 day moving average is $123.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Douglas Gregory Rauch sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.89, for a total transaction of $104,223.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,619,029.86. This trade represents a 6.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 2,935 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.74, for a total transaction of $407,201.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 149,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,741,491.26. This trade represents a 1.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 39,699 shares of company stock worth $5,835,352 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sprouts Farmers Market

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SFM. Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 28,659 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,642,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust grew its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 6,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $853,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,649 shares of the company’s stock valued at $845,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $489,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,917 shares of the company’s stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in 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.