Dive Brief:

• Annie's Inc., the natural and organic food brand, is in Wall Street's crosshairs. The company is being mentioned repeatedly as a takeover target.
• The reasoning behind such an acquisition is simple: Annie's is growing (sales rose 20% last year), while the share price is falling (down 26% in the past year.) 
• Annie's appears open to a deal. The company's CEO acknowledged last month that the company was struggling to turn revenue growth into profit, and would do what was best for shareholders if a suitor appeared.

Dive Insight:

A sale of Annie's does appear nearly inevitable now. The company has grown tremendously since its early days as a small player confined to so-called "hippie" stores. But Annie's hasn't had much luck in acting like a big player. And now that its biggest customer is hinting it will cut back on purchases, Annie's is about as vulnerable to a takeover as any company can be.

Even with a sale, hopefully Annie's can retain its family-friendly, homegrown image that brand devotees have grown to love.