Essex Financial Services Inc. Buys Shares of 3,439 Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG)

Essex Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 3,439 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Transcendent Capital Group LLC raised its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 950.0% in the third quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC now owns 525 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares during the period. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1,110.0% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 605 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 555 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.31% of the company’s stock.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Down 1.8 %

Chipotle Mexican Grill stock opened at $57.06 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $59.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.03. The stock has a market cap of $77.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.27. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 12-month low of $47.98 and a 12-month high of $69.26.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 13.56% and a return on equity of 42.92%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Loop Capital increased their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Cfra upgraded shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $59.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $65.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Chipotle Mexican Grill has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.31.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In related news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 4,404 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 185,792 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,078,337.92. This represents a 2.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

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.