Sprouts Farmers Market (SFM) experienced an unexpected after-hours plunge of 5.12% on Wednesday, despite reporting first-quarter results that surpassed analysts' expectations. The organic grocery chain posted an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.81, significantly higher than the estimated $1.55, while sales reached $2.24 billion, beating the forecast of $2.20 billion. The company also reported a notable 11.7% growth in comparable sales for the quarter.

Adding to the positive news, Sprouts Farmers Market provided an optimistic outlook for the fiscal year 2025. The company projects a sales growth of 12-14% and comparable sales growth of 5.5-7.5%. Furthermore, they anticipate a diluted EPS range of $4.94 to $5.10 for the year. Despite these encouraging figures and projections, investors seemed to react negatively in after-hours trading.

The paradoxical stock movement suggests that market expectations may have been even higher than the reported results, or investors might be concerned about factors not immediately apparent in the financial figures. It's possible that traders are focusing on other aspects of the report, such as profit margins or future challenges in maintaining such high growth rates in a competitive grocery market. As the market digests this information, it remains to be seen how the stock will perform in the coming trading sessions.