Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eighteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $66.31.

CMG has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Cfra raised Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $59.00 to $73.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Stephens dropped their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $61.00 to $60.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CMG opened at $57.06 on Friday. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 52-week low of $47.98 and a 52-week high of $69.26. The company has a market capitalization of $77.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.07.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 42.92% and a net margin of 13.56%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In other news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 4,404 shares of the firm’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 owns 185,792 shares in the company, valued at $12,078,337.92. This trade represents a 2.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Transcendent Capital Group LLC grew its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 950.0% in the 3rd quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC now owns 525 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. 91.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.