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Neal John Scott, the Chief Merchandising Officer of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM), recently executed a significant stock transaction, as reported in a recent SEC filing. On March 17, Scott sold 7,110 shares of Sprouts Farmers Market common stock at a price of $137.42 per share, totaling approximately $977,056. The transaction comes as SFM stock has delivered an impressive 126% return over the past year, with the company now commanding a market capitalization of $13.88 billion. According to InvestingPro analysis, the company maintains a "GOOD" overall financial health score.
This transaction was a broker-assisted sale intended to cover the withholding tax liability from the vesting of restricted stock units and performance share awards. Following this sale, Scott holds 22,246 shares directly, which includes both common stock and restricted stock units set to vest in the coming years. InvestingPro subscribers can access 15+ additional insights about SFM’s valuation and performance metrics, along with a comprehensive Pro Research Report that provides deep-dive analysis of the company’s fundamentals and growth prospects.
In other recent news, Sprouts Farmers Market reported impressive fourth-quarter 2024 earnings, surpassing Wall Street expectations with an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.79, compared to the anticipated $0.71. The company also exceeded revenue forecasts, reporting $2 billion against the projected $1.95 billion. Sprouts experienced a 61% increase in EPS year-over-year and a 17.5% rise in total sales for the quarter. Additionally, the company expanded its footprint with 33 new stores in 2024, while e-commerce sales surpassed $1 billion.
Jefferies analyst Matt Fishbein raised the price target for Sprouts Farmers Market shares to $139 from $119, maintaining a Hold rating. This adjustment follows Sprouts’ better-than-expected financial performance, with earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) and EPS exceeding estimates by approximately 5% and 7%, respectively. The company’s comparable store sales growth reached 11.5%, exceeding the consensus estimate of around 10%.
Looking ahead, Sprouts Farmers Market provided guidance for 2025, expecting total sales growth of 10.5% to 12.5% and comparable sales growth of 4.5% to 6.5%. Despite the positive outlook, management anticipates a slowdown in comparable store sales growth to flat or low single-digit percentages in the second half of 2025. The company plans to open at least 35 new stores and launch a loyalty program in the latter half of the year.
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