Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-six brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $42.36.

CMG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $32.00 price target (down from $36.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $51.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $53.00 target price (up from $50.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Friday, October 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Matthew R. Bush sold 2,675 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.75, for a total transaction of $95,631.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at $765,586.25. This represents a 11.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.45% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 2nd quarter valued at about $948,000. Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,406,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 7,051.6% during the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 243,726 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $7,787,000 after purchasing an additional 240,318 shares during the period. Park National Corp OH lifted its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 442.1% during the third quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 309,327 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $9,883,000 after purchasing an additional 252,265 shares during the period. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. boosted its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 181.1% in the third quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 1,066,722 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $34,082,000 after purchasing an additional 687,209 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.30% of the company’s stock.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

NYSE:CMG opened at $32.88 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.96. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 52-week low of $27.31 and a 52-week high of $41.42. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $32.99 and a 200 day moving average of $34.09.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $3.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 56.91% and a net margin of 10.83%. Chipotle Mexican Grill’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.29 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.10 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc (NYSE: CMG) operates a chain of fast-casual restaurants focused on Mexican-inspired food. Its menu includes burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, quesadillas and salads, with options such as chicken, steak, barbacoa, carnitas, sofritas and vegetables. The company emphasizes preparing food in its restaurants from ingredients it describes as responsibly sourced, including meats raised with attention to animal welfare and produce from selected suppliers.

Founded by Steve Ells in 1993, Chipotle opened its first restaurant in Denver, Colorado.