Royal Bank of Canada Sells 36,528 Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. $SFM

Royal Bank of Canada lowered its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM) by 43.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 47,016 shares of the company’s stock after selling 36,528 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market were worth $3,627,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFM. Rule One Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 62.0% in the first quarter. Rule One Partners LLC now owns 209,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,120,000 after acquiring an additional 80,000 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 12,554.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 108,951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,403,000 after purchasing an additional 108,090 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 21.0% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 68,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,292,000 after purchasing an additional 11,918 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 37.8% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 70,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,473,000 after purchasing an additional 19,466 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SummitTX Capital L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market by 176.5% in the first quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. now owns 24,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,878,000 after purchasing an additional 15,540 shares in the last quarter.

Sprouts Farmers Market News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Sprouts Farmers Market this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Long-term earnings estimates improved. Zacks Research raised its FY2027 EPS estimate to $5.80 from $5.73 and its FY2028 forecast to $6.32 from $6.11. Estimates for several future quarters also increased, suggesting analysts continue to see value in Sprouts’ store expansion and growth strategy. MarketBeat SFM estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Recent operating results modestly exceeded expectations. Sprouts reported quarterly EPS of $1.37 versus the $1.35 consensus, while revenue of $2.33 billion topped the $2.32 billion estimate and increased 4.7% year over year. New-store openings and digital sales growth remain important growth drivers. SFM Q2 Results Show Store Growth Strength but Margin Pressure Builds
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation is viewed as reasonable, but execution is increasingly important. Analysts say SFM’s valuation may reflect much of its growth potential, leaving the shares dependent on continued store productivity, digital momentum and successful expansion. The stock had gained 12.2% over the past month, increasing the market’s expectations. Is SFM Stock a Buy Now as Valuation Meets Slower Comparable Sales?
• Negative Sentiment: Soft comparable sales and margin pressure are the main overhangs. Zacks lowered its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $1.23 from $1.32 and trimmed its FY2026 forecast to $5.55 from $5.57. The weaker near-term outlook suggests costs, promotions or product mix could offset sales gains, making the second half of the year a key test for SFM. SFM Jumps 12.2% in a Month as Growth Drivers Face a Tough Margin Test

Sprouts Farmers Market Price Performance

Shares of SFM opened at $82.50 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.68. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.75 and a 1 year high of $152.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $82.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.32 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market had a return on equity of 34.84% and a net margin of 5.58%.Sprouts Farmers Market’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.35 EPS. Sprouts Farmers Market has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.200-1.240 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.320-5.400 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 5.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Roth Capital set a $82.00 price objective on Sprouts Farmers Market in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Monday, July 27th. UBS Group upped their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $80.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Sprouts Farmers Market from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $80.00 to $103.00 in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sprouts Farmers Market presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $91.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 10,790 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.04, for a total transaction of $885,211.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 269,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,149,159.20. The trade was a 3.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Nicholas Konat sold 12,538 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.90, for a total transaction of $1,102,090.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 66,119 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,811,860.10. This trade represents a 15.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 55,692 shares of company stock valued at $4,776,971. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

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.