Merit Financial Group LLC Sells 1,963 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Merit Financial Group LLC decreased its position in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,160 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,963 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $9,740,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market during the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Sprouts Farmers Market in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Sprouts Farmers Market during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 12,100.0% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 244 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 520.8% during the 2nd quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 298 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SFM. UBS Group set a $180.00 price target on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 21st. Barclays raised Sprouts Farmers Market from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $173.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Sprouts Farmers Market from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $175.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $177.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sprouts Farmers Market

In other news, CTO James H. Bahrenburg sold 4,292 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.06, for a total transaction of $588,261.52. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 9,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,256,429.02. This represents a 31.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Joe Fortunato sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.57, for a total value of $1,475,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 18,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,680,461.48. The trade was a 35.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 33,516 shares of company stock valued at $4,840,549 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFM opened at $105.93 on Monday. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1 year low of $102.40 and a 1 year high of $182.00. The business’s 50-day moving average is $136.66 and its 200-day moving average is $153.03. The company has a market capitalization of $10.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.77.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.12. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 36.53% and a net margin of 5.77%.The business had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.94 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sprouts Farmers Market has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.200-5.320 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 1.120-1.160 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 4.29 EPS for the current year.

Sprouts Farmers Market announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, August 19th that permits the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Sprouts Farmers Market 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.