Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Tumbles After Lettuce Outbreak Guts Sales Forecast

Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. shares fell sharply after the grocery chain cut its financial outlook, citing weaker sales tied to a cyclospora outbreak linked to lettuce, according to Bloomberg Markets.

The company pointed to both the health scare and a broader pullback in consumer spending as drags on recent performance. Cyclospora is a parasite that can cause intestinal illness and has previously been linked to contaminated produce outbreaks in the United States.

The guidance cut rattled investors, pushing the stock lower as Wall Street reassessed the grocer's near-term growth prospects amid the combined pressures of the outbreak fallout and cautious shoppers.