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Why Is Sprouts Farmers (SFM) Up 4.9% Since Last Earnings Report?
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It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Sprouts Farmers (SFM - Free Report) . Shares have added about 4.9% in that time frame.
Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Sprouts Farmers due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers.
Sprouts Farmers Q3 Earnings Beat, View Up
Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. kept its robust earnings surprise streak alive in the third quarter of 2022, wherein the top and bottom lines increased year over year and beat their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. Encouragingly, management raised its guidance for 2022.
The renowned grocery retailer delivered quarterly earnings of 61 cents a share, which cruised past the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 52 cents, marking the 13th straight beat. Impressively, the bottom line increased from 56 cents reported in the year-ago period.
Net sales came in at $1,591 million, up 5% from the prior-year quarter. The growth was driven by sales from the new stores and a jump in comparable store sales. The top line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,579 million.
Comparable store sales increased 2.4% during the quarter under review, backed by a rise in basket due to retail inflation, somewhat negated by a narrow decline in basket items.
We note that e-commerce sales grew 19% and formed 11.1% of the company’s total quarterly sales. Deli remained a top performer. The grocery, dairy, frozen and bakery categories continued to depict strength.
Margins
The gross profit rose 8.2% to $583.7 million. The gross margin expanded around 90 basis points to 36.7%, primarily driven by lower promotional activity.
Sprouts Farmers reported an operating income of $90.3 million, up 5.2% from the year-ago period. The operating margin remained nearly flat year over year at 5.7%.
SG&A expenses increased by $37.4 million year over year to $460.8 million due to new stores, elevated marketing spend and increased wages. The company witnessed a rise in e-commerce fees and credit card fees.
Store Update
During the quarter, Sprouts Farmers opened one new store, taking the total count to 379 stores in 23 states as of Oct 2, 2022. The company plans to open seven new stores during the fourth quarter, bringing the total for the year to 16. Moreover, it intends to open at least 30 new stores in the next year with plans to open 40 plus stores by 2024.
Other Financial Aspects
Sprouts Farmers ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $316 million, long-term debt and finance lease liabilities of roughly $259 million and stockholders’ equity of $1,040.8 million. The company had $700 million in its revolving credit facility as of the quarter end.
Sprouts Farmers repurchased 1.6 million shares for a total investment of $44 million in the third quarter.
During the quarter, the company generated $98 million in operating cash flow and spent $25 million in capital expenditures net of landlord reimbursement. The company generated cash from operations of $307 million and spent $71 million on capital expenditures, net of landlord reimbursement, year to date through Oct 2, 2022. Management anticipates capital expenditures (net of landlord reimbursements) in the $120-$135 million band for 2022.
Outlook
A robust to-date performance encouraged management to raise its guidance for 2022.
Sprouts Farmers now envisions net sales growth of 4.5-5% and a comparable store sales increase of roughly 2% for 2022. Earlier, these metrics were envisioned in the range of 4-5% and 1-2%, respectively.
It projects adjusted earnings in the band of $2.32-$2.36 per share for 2022, up from the earlier guided range of $2.18-$2.26 per share. The company had reported earnings of $2.10 per share in the year-ago period.
For the fourth quarter, the company expects comparable store sales growth of nearly 2% and earnings in the band of 35-39 cents a share. The company had reported earnings of 32 cents a share in the year-ago period.
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?
It turns out, fresh estimates have trended upward during the past month.
VGM Scores
At this time, Sprouts Farmers has a great Growth Score of A, though it is lagging a lot on the Momentum Score front with a D. However, the stock was allocated a grade of A on the value side, putting it in the top quintile for this investment strategy.
Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of A. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.
Outlook
Estimates have been broadly trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. It comes with little surprise Sprouts Farmers has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). We expect an above average return from the stock in the next few months.
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Why Is Sprouts Farmers (SFM) Up 4.9% Since Last Earnings Report?
It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Sprouts Farmers (SFM - Free Report) . Shares have added about 4.9% in that time frame.
Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Sprouts Farmers due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers.
Sprouts Farmers Q3 Earnings Beat, View Up
Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. kept its robust earnings surprise streak alive in the third quarter of 2022, wherein the top and bottom lines increased year over year and beat their respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. Encouragingly, management raised its guidance for 2022.
The renowned grocery retailer delivered quarterly earnings of 61 cents a share, which cruised past the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 52 cents, marking the 13th straight beat. Impressively, the bottom line increased from 56 cents reported in the year-ago period.
Net sales came in at $1,591 million, up 5% from the prior-year quarter. The growth was driven by sales from the new stores and a jump in comparable store sales. The top line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,579 million.
Comparable store sales increased 2.4% during the quarter under review, backed by a rise in basket due to retail inflation, somewhat negated by a narrow decline in basket items.
We note that e-commerce sales grew 19% and formed 11.1% of the company’s total quarterly sales. Deli remained a top performer. The grocery, dairy, frozen and bakery categories continued to depict strength.
Margins
The gross profit rose 8.2% to $583.7 million. The gross margin expanded around 90 basis points to 36.7%, primarily driven by lower promotional activity.
Sprouts Farmers reported an operating income of $90.3 million, up 5.2% from the year-ago period. The operating margin remained nearly flat year over year at 5.7%.
SG&A expenses increased by $37.4 million year over year to $460.8 million due to new stores, elevated marketing spend and increased wages. The company witnessed a rise in e-commerce fees and credit card fees.
Store Update
During the quarter, Sprouts Farmers opened one new store, taking the total count to 379 stores in 23 states as of Oct 2, 2022. The company plans to open seven new stores during the fourth quarter, bringing the total for the year to 16. Moreover, it intends to open at least 30 new stores in the next year with plans to open 40 plus stores by 2024.
Other Financial Aspects
Sprouts Farmers ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $316 million, long-term debt and finance lease liabilities of roughly $259 million and stockholders’ equity of $1,040.8 million. The company had $700 million in its revolving credit facility as of the quarter end.
Sprouts Farmers repurchased 1.6 million shares for a total investment of $44 million in the third quarter.
During the quarter, the company generated $98 million in operating cash flow and spent $25 million in capital expenditures net of landlord reimbursement. The company generated cash from operations of $307 million and spent $71 million on capital expenditures, net of landlord reimbursement, year to date through Oct 2, 2022. Management anticipates capital expenditures (net of landlord reimbursements) in the $120-$135 million band for 2022.
Outlook
A robust to-date performance encouraged management to raise its guidance for 2022.
Sprouts Farmers now envisions net sales growth of 4.5-5% and a comparable store sales increase of roughly 2% for 2022. Earlier, these metrics were envisioned in the range of 4-5% and 1-2%, respectively.
It projects adjusted earnings in the band of $2.32-$2.36 per share for 2022, up from the earlier guided range of $2.18-$2.26 per share. The company had reported earnings of $2.10 per share in the year-ago period.
For the fourth quarter, the company expects comparable store sales growth of nearly 2% and earnings in the band of 35-39 cents a share. The company had reported earnings of 32 cents a share in the year-ago period.
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?
It turns out, fresh estimates have trended upward during the past month.
VGM Scores
At this time, Sprouts Farmers has a great Growth Score of A, though it is lagging a lot on the Momentum Score front with a D. However, the stock was allocated a grade of A on the value side, putting it in the top quintile for this investment strategy.
Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of A. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.
Outlook
Estimates have been broadly trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. It comes with little surprise Sprouts Farmers has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). We expect an above average return from the stock in the next few months.