Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Chipotle Mexican Grill has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from 29 research firms, with one analyst giving it a strong buy rating.
• The average 1-year target price for Chipotle stock among analysts is $60.71, though recent reports have noted target price adjustments from various firms.
• Insider Roger E. Theodoredis sold over 113,000 shares of Chipotle stock, reflecting a significant decrease in ownership, while institutional investors own 91.31% of the company's shares.

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-nine analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nineteen have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $60.71.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on CMG shares. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $61.00 to $58.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 target price (down from $62.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Thursday, July 24th. TD Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $57.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Melius initiated coverage on Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Monday, July 14th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock.

Insider Transactions at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In other Chipotle Mexican Grill news, insider Roger E. Theodoredis sold 113,875 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.70, for a total value of $5,659,587.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 109,815 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,457,805.50. The trade was a 50.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 1248 Management LLC acquired a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, HighMark Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 173.4% during the 1st quarter. HighMark Wealth Management LLC now owns 585 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. 91.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Down 0.8%

CMG stock traded down $0.35 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $42.53. 19,080,870 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 20,091,236. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $52.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $52.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.05. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a twelve month low of $42.46 and a twelve month high of $66.74.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The restaurant operator reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 13.32% and a return on equity of 43.50%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.34 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

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.