Sweetgreen Inc
🔔 Watch stock
Assessment
Our Rating
A journalistic assessment by our editorial team at the time of the deep dive — it rates the company, not the entry point. Not investment advice and not a solicitation to buy or sell.
The business works in principle, but one material question is open. As long as it stays open, our findings do not carry a quality verdict.
Why this colour
Whoever buys today is betting that same-store sales turn before the Wonder cash is consumed by the day-to-day business — and pays 1.6 times revenue for that bet instead of the more-than-ten-times valuation of the IPO era. Whoever waits may miss the bottom but will see in black and white, in the coming quarterly reports, whether traffic and the restaurant-level spread confirm the comeback thesis — the next report is scheduled for August 6, 2026. The decision is yours.
What the thesis turns on
Assessment: Opportunities & Risks
Sweetgreen is no bankruptcy candidate, but it is not a proven turnaround either: the till is full thanks to the robot sale ($161.0 million, no bank debt), the brand and the digital business are real — but the guests are disappearing faster (minus 12.8 percent same-store in Q1 2026), losses are growing again, and the only quarterly profit in company history comes from selling the future technology, not from the business. The stock market comeback (up 82 percent in three months) is an advance on a turnaround that has not yet appeared in the SEC numbers. Not investment advice.
Balance sheet & liquidity
No bank debt, $161.0 million of cash as of March 29, 2026 (after the $100 million cash inflow from the Spyce sale), plus $86.4 million of Wonder shares at carrying value — the company has bought itself time (quarterly report 10-Q as of March 29, 2026).
Core business & demand
Same-store sales minus 7.9 percent (2025) and minus 12.8 percent (Q1 2026), per the quarterly report primarily driven by an 11.2 percent traffic decline; average unit volume down from $2.907 million to $2.572 million; five permanent closures in the first quarter of 2026 alone.
Profitability & cost structure
Net loss 2025: $134.1 million (up 48 percent), losses since inception, $1,009.4 million accumulated; general and administrative expenses of 21.1 percent of revenue stand against a calculated restaurant-level spread of roughly 15 percent — the overhead costs more than the stores earn; operating cash flow negative in 2025.
Automation bet (Infinite Kitchen)
The Spyce sale ($186.4 million, December 29, 2025) brought liquidity and a royalty-free perpetual license, but turned the in-house future technology into a vendor relationship: supply, maintenance and development hang on Wonder, $86.4 million of the proceeds are illiquid shares, and unit costs are expected to rise per the annual report (2025 tariffs: roughly plus 5 percent).
Momentum & ownership signals
A stage-2 uptrend, price above the 50- and 200-day moving averages, up 81.9 percent in three months, CEO purchases and 12 adding institutions — against a Piotroski score of 4 of 9, an Altman Z of 1.92 and minus 30.6 percent over twelve months (data as of July 10, 2026): momentum is pricing a turnaround the business numbers do not yet show.
Worth Noting
SG reached our research list via the Reddit hype scanner (ApeWisdom, 3 mentions in 24 hours, as of July 15, 2026); that is attention measurement, not a quality verdict. The 9 hits in our in-house stock scanner carry the July 10, 2026 data cut-off and rotate daily.
Scanner metrics (Piotroski, Altman Z, price-to-sales, trend stages) are computed from trailing twelve-month figures; the Spyce one-off gain from the first quarter of 2026 inflates earnings-based metrics such as the P/E — which is why we did not use them.
Price and valuation figures are dated to July 10, 2026 (about $9, market value roughly $1.1 billion); analyses are evergreen, daily prices are not a buy argument.
Stock Watch
This analysis is as of August 26, 2026. Stock Watch will tell you what's changed at SG since then.
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Price history
Chart
Interactive price chart (TradingView).
52-week range: 4.70 $ to 10.20 $ · Last price: 6.80 $ (As of: September 17, 2026)
Key figures
Key figures at a glance
Every figure we hold for this stock, grouped by topic. The question mark next to a label explains what the number means.
Basics
Performance
Technical Indicators
Calculated from the price history · as of 09/18/2026
Valuation
Profitability
Balance Sheet & Safety
Growth
Dividend
This stock currently pays no dividend.
Quality & Screener
Comparison
Industry comparison
The stock alongside the largest companies in the same group. The median row is the middle value of the companies shown above — not of the whole industry.
Industry: Restaurants
| Company | Market cap ($B) | P/E | EV/EBITDA | Gross Margin % | EBIT Margin % | Sales Growth (Year) % | Perf. 1Y % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetgreen Inc SG | 0.8 | 58.7 | 11.7 | 12.8 | – | 0.4 | -21.5 |
| McDonald’s Corporation MCD | 176.6 | 21.4 | 15.4 | 57.4 | 44.3 | 3.7 | -16.4 |
| Starbucks Corporation SBUX | 110.2 | 75.7 | 24.8 | 22.3 | 8.4 | 2.8 | 19.1 |
| Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc CMG | 43.0 | 30.7 | 22.5 | 39.4 | 13.3 | 5.4 | -14.3 |
| Yum! Brands Inc YUM | 37.2 | 23.2 | 17.5 | 45.3 | 31.1 | 8.8 | -5.0 |
| Restaurant Brands International Inc. QSR | 33.2 | 23.9 | 14.5 | 34.1 | 25.9 | 12.2 | 19.0 |
| Darden Restaurants Inc DRI | 23.9 | 20.8 | 14.4 | 21.7 | 14.3 | 6.0 | 2.2 |
| Yum China Holdings Inc YUMC | 14.2 | 15.2 | 8.4 | 20.3 | 11.5 | 4.4 | -4.9 |
| Texas Roadhouse Inc TXRH | 11.0 | 28.0 | 18.1 | 16.3 | 9.0 | 9.4 | 3.2 |
| Median of companies shown | 33.2 | 23.9 | 15.4 | 22.3 | 13.8 | 5.4 | -4.9 |
Based on the most recently reported figures. Only stocks from the same trading venue are lined up, so the market caps are counted in one currency. Compare in a chart →
Fiscal years
Annual Figures
Fiscal years from the audited annual reports, oldest first. EBIT is the operating profit before interest and taxes; total assets are everything the company owns.
Revenue, operating income and net income per fiscal year $M
Revenue Operating income Net income
| Fiscal Year | Revenue ($M) | EBIT ($M) | Net Income ($M) | EPS ($) | Operating Cash Flow ($M) | Equity ($M) | Total Assets ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 113 | -21 | -21 | – | – | – | – |
| 2017 | 171 | -32 | -33 | – | – | – | – |
| 2018 | 1,458 | 53 | -18 | -0.16 | 108 | 1,938 | 6,008 |
| 2019 | 274 | -70 | -68 | -0.63 | -37 | -173 | 386 |
| 2020 | 221 | -142 | -141 | -1.31 | -90 | -307 | 266 |
| 2021 | 340 | -134 | -153 | -1.40 | -65 | 653 | 763 |
| 2022 | 470 | -193 | -190 | -1.73 | -43 | 541 | 909 |
| 2023 | 584 | -122 | -113 | -1.01 | 26 | 483 | 857 |
| 2024 | 677 | -96 | -90 | -0.79 | 43 | 446 | 857 |
| 2025 | 679 | -111 | -134 | -1.14 | -13 | 356 | 788 |
Quarters
Quarterly Figures
Each bar is one quarter, the last one is the most recent. Use the switch to step through the individual figures.
Revenue & Profit
Cash Flow
Balance Sheet
Margins
Per Share
Click the chart or tab into it, then use ← and → to step through the periods.
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· Total · per year
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The figures could not be loaded right now.
Source: fundamental data
| Quarter | EPS (Earnings Per Share) | EPS YoY (%) | Sales ($M) | Sales YoY (%) | Net Margin (%) | OCF ($M) | FCF ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024: Q4 | -0.25 | – | 161 | 5.10 | -18.00 | 6 | -23 |
| 2025: Q1 | -0.21 | – | 166 | 5.40 | -15.10 | -13 | -32 |
| 2025: Q2 | -0.20 | – | 186 | 0.50 | -12.50 | 11 | -15 |
| 2025: Q3 | -0.31 | – | 172 | -0.60 | -21.00 | -1 | -37 |
| 2025: Q4 | -0.42 | – | 155 | -3.50 | -32.00 | -9 | -39 |
| 2026: Q1 | 1.05 | – | 162 | -2.90 | 77.90 | -17 | -30 |
| 2026: Q2 | -0.22 | -10.00 | 193 | 3.80 | -13.60 | 0 | -11 |
What Do These Terms Mean?
- EPS (Earnings Per Share):
- Quarterly profit divided by the total share count — how much of the profit works out to a single share.
- YoY (Year over Year):
- Change versus the same quarter a year ago — this is how you compare without seasonal distortion (e.g. the holiday shopping season).
- Sales:
- All revenue for the quarter, before any costs are deducted — the top line of the income statement.
- Net Margin:
- What percentage of sales is left over as profit in the end. Negative means the company is posting a loss.
- OCF (Operating Cash Flow):
- The cash that actually flows into the till from the core business during the quarter — harder to dress up than book profit.
- FCF (Free Cash Flow):
- Operating cash flow minus capital expenditures — the money that's genuinely free to use, say for paying down debt, buybacks, or dividends.
Screening
Appears in These Scanners
This stock currently matches 12 of our scanner strategies — each hit links to the scanner.
Quality & Balance Sheet
- CEO Buys
- Insider Buying (Net)
- Institutional + Insiders Building Positions
- Institutional Accumulation
- Institutions + CEO Buying
- Pros 80%
Breakout & Setup
Momentum & Trend
Research
Only genuine hits from verified scanners count; pure ranking metrics (P/E, P/S, and similar, which just sort the whole universe) don't count as a hit. View all scanners
Outlook
Analysts & Price Target
Combined picture of the price targets and recommendations of every analyst covering the stock. Price targets are expectations for the next 12 months, not promises — and they often follow the price rather than predict it.
Distribution of Recommendations
Estimates by Fiscal Year
| Fiscal Year | EPS Estimate ($) | EPS Range ($) | Revenue Estimate ($M) | Expected Growth | Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/31/2026 | -0.25 | -1.06 – 0.49 | 683 | 60.7% | 8 |
| 12/31/2027 | -0.68 | -0.88 – -0.45 | 736 | -167.2% | 8 |
Average of the analyst estimates for the coming fiscal years. The range shows how far the most optimistic and the most cautious estimate sit apart — the wider it is, the less certain the expectation.
Valuation
What is priced in?
Free cash flow over the past twelve months is negative, which rules out a serious reverse calculation. Any growth rate only makes a negative cash flow more negative; no present value comes out of it. What the price reflects here is therefore not a stream of cash flows, but the expectation that there will be one at all.
A simplified model calculation — not a forecast and not a recommendation.
AI classification
AI Rating
Die Berichte belegen operativen KI-Einsatz ohne KI-Umsatzquelle: Der Geschäftsbericht 10-K 2025 bestätigt den begonnenen Einsatz KI-gestützter Drittanbieter-Software einschließlich generativer KI sowie generative KI-Werkzeuge für Mitarbeiter in Teilen des Unternehmens; eine KI-basierte Umsatzquelle nennen die Filings nicht — die Küchenautomatisierung „Infinite Kitchen“ wird in den Berichten nicht als KI-Produkt vermarktet und wurde am 29.12.2025 an Wonder verkauft. Ein konkreter Bedroht-Befund für das eigene Geschäftsmodell findet sich nicht; die KI-Passagen der Risikofaktoren betreffen den eigenen Einsatz (Fehler, Datenschutz, Compliance).
View the full file — quotes, sources, reviewed filings
„We have begun using various third party software solutions that rely upon artificial intelligence (AI), including but not limited to generative AI."
Wir haben begonnen, verschiedene Software-Lösungen von Drittanbietern einzusetzen, die auf künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) beruhen, einschließlich, aber nicht beschränkt auf generative KI.
10-K · 2026-02-27 · View SEC filing
„Various generative AI tools are available to employees within parts of our company, and in the future we may more broadly use, develop, and incorporate generative AI within our systems, technology platforms, and services."
Verschiedene generative KI-Werkzeuge stehen Mitarbeitern in Teilen unseres Unternehmens zur Verfügung, und künftig könnten wir generative KI breiter in unseren Systemen, Technologieplattformen und Diensten nutzen, entwickeln und integrieren.
10-K · 2026-02-27 · View SEC filing
Filings Reviewed: 10-Q 2026-05-08 · 10-Q 2025-11-07 · 10-Q 2025-08-08 · 10-Q 2025-05-08 · 10-K 2026-02-27 · 10-K 2025-02-27
Rated on July 15, 2026 · How the Rating Is Built
Growth
Growth Score
Ten checks against the annual reports — each one passed counts a point.
- Revenue grows by more than 15% a year over three years 13.1%
- More than 10% revenue growth is expected for the coming year 6.6%
- Share count grows by less than 3% a year 2.3%
- Revenue growth plus cash-flow margin add up to at least 40 ("Rule of 40") -17.2%
- Gross margin at 40% or higher and without meaningful erosion 15.2%
- Goodwill from acquisitions does not grow faster than revenue 3.5%
- Net debt below twice EBITDA failed
- Operating cash flow covers the profits of the last three years 395 m
- Return on capital at 15% or higher, or up versus two years ago -16.6%
- Insiders hold at least 10% or are net buyers 3.5%
A criterion without figures counts neither as passed nor as failed; a score is only produced from 7 judgeable criteria upwards. Source: fundamental data. All ten criteria in detail
Quality check
AAQS
1/10The AAQS (AlleAktien Quality Score) checks 10 quality criteria on growth, profitability, and balance-sheet strength — per the methodology developed and published by AlleAktien, calculated by us from our own fundamental data. A stock counts as a quality stock from 9 out of 10 points. Where a company has a shorter listing history, we calculate over the fiscal years available (at least five).
- Sales growth 10Y > 5% 22.0%
- Exp. sales growth 3Y > 5% 4.1%
- EBIT growth 10Y > 5% –
- Exp. EBIT growth 3Y > 5% 4.1%
- Net debt < 4x EBIT –
- EBIT positive, 10Y straight 1
- Max. EBIT decline < 50% 100.0%
- Return on equity > 15% -42.2%
- ROCE > 15% -16.6%
- Expected return > 10% -11.2%
View stocks with the full AAQS score · Read the methodology at AlleAktien
Source: fundamental data
Insiders
Insider Transactions
Reportable transactions by officers and major shareholders from SEC Form 4 filings. "Other" includes things like stock grants and option exercises without a buy/sell character.
| Date | Person | Role | Type | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 2026 | Cochran Jason Miles | Chief Operating Officer | Sell | 4,809 | 6.21 | 29,864 |
| Aug 17, 2026 | McConnell Jamie | Chief Financial Officer | Sell | 15,033 | 6.21 | 93,355 |
The company
About the Company
Sweetgreen, Inc. betreibt zusammen mit seinen Tochtergesellschaften Schnellrestaurants, die gesunde Speisen und Getränke in den USA servieren.
- CEO Insider Trades (12 Mo.)
- buying own stock
- Employees
- 6,486
- Headquarters
- Los Angeles, CA
- Address
- 3102 West 36th Street, 90018 Los Angeles, United States
- Phone
- 323 990 7040
- Website
- sweetgreen.com
- IPO Date
- 11/18/2021
- ISIN
- US87043Q1085
Management
| Name | Title | Birth Year |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Neman | Co-Founder, Chairman, President & CEO | 1986 |
| Nicolas H. Jammet | Co-Founder, Secretary, Chief Concept Officer & Director | 1986 |
| Nathaniel Ru | Co-Founder & Director | 1986 |
| Jamie McConnell | CFO & Treasurer | 1980 |
| Jason Cochran | Chief Operating Officer | 1968 |
| Wouleta Ayele | Chief Technology Officer | 1966 |
| Rebecca Nounou | Head of Investor Relations | – |
| Matthew Scott Alexander J.D. | Chief Legal Officer | 1973 |
| Adrienne Gemperle | Chief People Officer | 1966 |
| Chad Brauze | Head of Culinary | – |
Executives per the latest required filings; titles kept in their original language. Source: fundamental data.
Filings
Company Filings (8-K)
An 8-K is the filing a US company must use to disclose material events immediately — takeovers, changes at the top, major contracts or payment troubles, for instance. The links open the original document at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
- 08/28/2026 Sweetgreen, Inc. (SG): Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers: Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers; Financial Statements and Exhibits SEC ↗
- 08/06/2026 Sweetgreen, Inc. (SG): Results of Operations and Financial Condition; Financial Statements and Exhibits SEC ↗
Data as of: September 17, 2026 · Source: fundamental data & SEC filings (annual and quarterly reports, 10-K/10-Q)
Note: pure fact-based analysis, not investment advice and not a solicitation to buy or sell. All figures without guarantee.