Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $43.91 According to Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately bullish: 23 of 33 analysts rate Chipotle a buy, while 10 recommend holding the stock. The average 12-month price target is $43.91, above the reported share price of $32.31.
• Recent analyst targets range from $37 to $47, with JPMorgan cutting its target to $37 while BTIG, TD Cowen, Evercore and Citigroup maintained buy or outperform ratings.
• Chipotle slightly exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.33 in EPS and $3.35 billion in revenue, up 9.3% year over year. Institutional investors own 91.3% of the stock, while an insider recently sold 2,675 shares.

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirty-three research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $43.91.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $44.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $47.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $46.00 to $45.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Chipotle Mexican Grill news, insider Matthew R. Bush sold 2,675 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.75, for a total value of $95,631.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 21,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $765,586.25. The trade was a 11.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.45% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 317.8% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 498,275 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $16,941,000 after acquiring an additional 379,020 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 623.0% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 200,958 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $6,833,000 after purchasing an additional 173,163 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 2.2% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 50,929 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,732,000 after purchasing an additional 1,104 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service increased its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 9.4% in the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 2,312,845 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $78,637,000 after purchasing an additional 198,749 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 833.5% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 723,446 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $24,597,000 after purchasing an additional 645,944 shares during the last quarter. 91.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of CMG opened at $32.31 on Friday. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 1-year low of $28.03 and a 1-year high of $42.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.64, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.96. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $34.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.62.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.01. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 54.65% and a net margin of 11.43%.The business had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.33 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc is a fast-casual restaurant company that specializes in Mexican-inspired food made with a limited number of core ingredients. Its menu includes burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, quesadillas, salads and sides, with options such as chicken, steak, barbacoa, carnitas, sofritas and vegetables. The company also offers beverages, including soft drinks and other drinks, and allows customers to customize meals.

Founded by Steve Ells in 1993, Chipotle operates company-owned restaurants under the Chipotle Mexican Grill brand.

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