Sweetgreen (NYSE:SG) Stock Jumps 7.2% Following Analyst Upgrade

Sweetgreen, Inc. (NYSE:SG) shares traded up 7.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on the stock from $6.50 to $11.00. Royal Bank Of Canada currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Sweetgreen traded as high as $8.75 and last traded at $8.8350. 617,408 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 5,082,884 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.24.

SG has been the subject of a number of other reports. KeyCorp upgraded Sweetgreen from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $9.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sweetgreen from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 16th. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Sweetgreen from $10.00 to $8.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 7th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Sweetgreen from $7.00 to $5.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Sweetgreen from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Sweetgreen has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $7.83.

Insider Transactions at Sweetgreen

In related news, CFO Jamie McConnell sold 15,033 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.21, for a total transaction of $93,354.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 210,489 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,307,136.69. This trade represents a 6.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, COO Jason Miles Cochran sold 4,809 shares of Sweetgreen stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.21, for a total value of $29,863.89. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 207,076 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,285,941.96. This represents a 2.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders own 18.19% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Sweetgreen

Here are the key news stories impacting Sweetgreen this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target to $11 from $6.50 and upgraded Sweetgreen to “Outperform.” The new target implies approximately 24% upside from the referenced share price, signaling confidence that the current valuation does not fully reflect the company’s recovery potential.
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo upgraded Sweetgreen to “Overweight” from “Equal Weight.” The firm’s more bullish view is based on improving operations and what it sees as a more favorable post-Cyclospora setup. Wells Fargo upgrades Sweetgreen to overweight from equal-weight
• Positive Sentiment: Shares have recovered the losses associated with the Cyclospora outbreak. The rebound suggests investors are viewing the incident as a manageable, largely priced-in issue rather than a lasting threat to Sweetgreen’s brand or growth prospects. Sweetgreen shares erase Cyclospora slump as Wells Fargo upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Although analyst sentiment has improved, Sweetgreen remains sensitive to execution, restaurant traffic, and the company’s ability to sustain operational improvements. The upgrades represent expectations rather than guaranteed earnings or price performance.
• Negative Sentiment: The Cyclospora outbreak remains a potential reputational and sales risk if additional cases or food-safety concerns emerge, even though the immediate market reaction has faded.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sweetgreen

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SG. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sweetgreen in the second quarter worth $90,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in Sweetgreen in the second quarter valued at $112,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Sweetgreen in the second quarter valued at $99,000. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in Sweetgreen in the 2nd quarter valued at $4,557,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Sweetgreen in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,792,000. 95.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sweetgreen Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $6.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 88.67 and a beta of 2.20.

Sweetgreen (NYSE:SG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.22) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.13) by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $192.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $194.50 million. Sweetgreen had a negative return on equity of 32.94% and a net margin of 2.01%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.20) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Sweetgreen, Inc. will post -1.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Sweetgreen

Sweetgreen, Inc operates a fast-casual restaurant chain focused on fresh, plant-forward meals. Its menu includes salads, grain bowls, warm bowls, sides, beverages and seasonal offerings prepared with a focus on whole ingredients and customizable combinations.

The company serves customers through company-operated restaurants and digital channels, including its website and mobile application for ordering, pickup and delivery. Sweetgreen has also developed automated restaurant technology, including its Infinite Kitchen platform, which is designed to support food preparation and restaurant operations.

Sweetgreen was founded in 2007 in Washington, DC, by Jonathan Neman, Nicolas Jammet and Nathaniel Ru.