Sprouts Farmers Q3 Earnings Beat, Comparable Store Sales Moderate

Core Insights - Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (SFM) reported third-quarter 2025 results with net sales falling short of estimates while earnings per share exceeded expectations, indicating mixed performance [1][2][9] Financial Performance - Quarterly earnings were $1.22 per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.17, and up from $0.91 in the same period last year [2][9] - Net sales reached $2,200.4 million, below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2,229 million, but increased by 13% year over year, driven by new store sales and comparable store sales growth [2][3] Comparable Store Sales - Comparable store sales rose by 5.9%, below the projected 7.6% increase, and decelerated from 10.2% and 11.7% in the previous two quarters [3][11] - E-commerce sales grew by 21%, accounting for 15.5% of total sales during the quarter [3] Margins and Operating Income - Gross profit increased by 14.9% year over year to $851.1 million, with gross margin expanding by 60 basis points to 38.7%, exceeding expectations [4] - Operating income rose to $157.4 million from $122.5 million year over year, with operating margin expanding by 90 basis points to 7.2% [5] Expenses and Store Expansion - SG&A expenses increased by 12.6% year over year to $653.3 million, but as a percentage of net sales, it improved to 29.7% due to lower compensation expenses [6] - The company opened nine new stores during the quarter, bringing the total to 464 stores, with plans to open 37 new stores in 2025 and more in 2026 [7] Financial Health - Cash and cash equivalents stood at $322.4 million, with long-term debt of approximately $53.4 million and stockholders' equity of $1,434.6 million [8] - The company repurchased 0.4 million shares for $50 million under a $1 billion share repurchase program [8] Future Guidance - For Q4 2025, SFM expects flat to 2% growth in comparable store sales and adjusted earnings between $0.86 and $0.90 per share [11] - The company anticipates 2025 net sales growth of 14% and comparable store sales growth of 7%, adjusting previous projections [11][12]