Analysts Set Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Target Price at $66.81

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

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup lowered their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $71.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

NYSE:CMG opened at $56.19 on Wednesday. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a fifty-two week low of $46.01 and a fifty-two week high of $69.26. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $60.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $57.80. The firm has a market cap of $76.57 billion, a PE ratio of 52.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.27.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In related news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 4,404 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.01, for a total transaction of $286,304.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 185,792 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,078,337.92. The trade was a 2.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 13,644 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $786,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. increased its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.2% in the third quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. now owns 14,625 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $843,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Connable Office Inc. raised its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 0.6% in the third quarter. Connable Office Inc. now owns 31,928 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,840,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 14.4% during the 3rd quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 1,430 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Traynor Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,522 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $454,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. 91.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

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.