Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eighteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $66.81.

CMG has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $71.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:CMG opened at $56.35 on Wednesday. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 12 month low of $45.50 and a 12 month high of $69.26. The firm has a market cap of $76.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $60.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $57.91.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.82 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 13.51% and a return on equity of 43.20%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.23 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 4,404 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.01, for a total value of $286,304.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 185,792 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,078,337.92. This trade represents a 2.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealthspire Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5,360.6% during the second quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 9,010 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $564,000 after buying an additional 8,845 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 6,212.2% during the 2nd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 13,950 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $874,000 after acquiring an additional 13,729 shares in the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 7,044.7% in the 2nd quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 62,230 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,899,000 after purchasing an additional 61,359 shares during the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4,697.3% in the 2nd quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 3,550 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 3,476 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4,408.9% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 5,050 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 4,938 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.31% of the company’s stock.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Company Profile

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. It sells food and beverages through offering burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, tacos, and salads. The company also provides delivery and related services its app and website. It has operations in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.