Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. $CMG Shares Sold by William Blair Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management cut its Chipotle stake by 23.6%, selling 763,543 shares in the third quarter. It retained 2.47 million shares, valued at about $79 million.
• Chipotle reported quarterly revenue of $3.29 billion, up 9.6% year over year, but EPS of $0.27 missed analysts’ $0.29 estimate.
• Analysts’ average rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $42.44; 26 analysts rated the stock Buy and nine rated it Hold.

William Blair Investment Management LLC cut its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG - Free Report) by 23.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,472,219 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 763,543 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned about 0.20% of Chipotle Mexican Grill worth $78,987,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the second quarter worth $4,417,475,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 19.8% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 16,478,248 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $527,469,000 after acquiring an additional 2,727,762 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 23.3% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 11,980,192 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $383,486,000 after acquiring an additional 2,266,087 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 86.1% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 11,973,752 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $383,280,000 after acquiring an additional 5,541,385 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 30.6% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 10,845,627 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $368,751,000 after acquiring an additional 2,541,795 shares in the last quarter. 91.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Shares of CMG stock traded up $0.10 on Friday, hitting $35.27. 11,955,091 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 21,316,396. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a one year low of $27.31 and a one year high of $41.42. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $32.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $33.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.00.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.02). Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 57.05% and a net margin of 10.83%. The business had revenue of $3.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.29 EPS. Chipotle Mexican Grill's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.10 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Recent Chipotle Mexican Grill Headlines

Here are a few of the latest headlines about CMG:

• Positive Sentiment: Chipotle repurchased billions of dollars in stock over the past 12 months, including shares at an average price of $34.05 last quarter. The article argues the buybacks may help support the stock as the business recovers. Chipotle Bought Back Stock at $34.05 a Share Last Quarter. Is It Still a Buy Today?
• Neutral Sentiment: A comparison with Coca-Cola highlights Chipotle’s company-owned restaurant model and digital sales as growth drivers, but offers no new company-specific development or direct catalyst for CMG shares. Chipotle Mexican Grill vs. Coca-Cola: Which Stock Is a Buy After the Nvidia Sell-Off?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut its 2026 EPS estimate to $1.09 from $1.15 and lowered its Q4 2026 estimate to $0.25 from $0.29. The revisions point to near-term earnings pressure and offset some of the optimism in its later-year forecasts. Zacks Research earnings estimate revisions

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CMG. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $50.00 price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $32.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $39.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $40.00 price target (down from $45.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Twenty-six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Chipotle Mexican Grill has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $42.44.

Insider Activity at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In other news, insider Matthew R. Bush sold 2,675 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The stock was 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.45% of the company's stock.

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill is a fast-casual restaurant company that serves Mexican-inspired food, including burritos, bowls, tacos and salads. Customers can customize meals with ingredients such as rice, beans, meats, vegetables, salsas and guacamole. Founded by Steve Ells in Denver, Colorado, in 1993, Chipotle built its business around preparing food in restaurant kitchens and emphasizing ingredients it describes as responsibly sourced. The company primarily operates its own restaurants, rather than relying on a franchise model.

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