Lazard Asset Management LLC Cuts Position in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG)

Lazard Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) by 7.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,265 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 1,134 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $38,557,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CMG. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 4th quarter worth approximately $805,529,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 220,249.6% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 301,879 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $6,903,850,000 after purchasing an additional 301,742 shares during the last quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the first quarter valued at approximately $167,256,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $100,535,000. Finally, DSM Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 139.2% during the 4th quarter. DSM Capital Partners LLC now owns 68,736 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $157,196,000 after acquiring an additional 40,000 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.31% of the company’s stock.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

NYSE CMG traded down $0.99 during trading on Friday, hitting $49.83. 24,611,086 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 19,298,044. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $125.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $79.76. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 12-month low of $35.37 and a 12-month high of $69.26. The firm has a market cap of $68.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.17, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.24.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The restaurant operator reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 13.23% and a return on equity of 44.01%. The business had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $12.65 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 18.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CMG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $57.00 to $55.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Stephens decreased their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $64.00 to $61.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Wedbush decreased their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $64.00 to $54.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $72.00 to $67.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.88.

Chipotle Mexican Grill 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.