Mizuho Securities USA LLC Sells 20,621 Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG)

Key Points

• Mizuho Securities USA LLC has reduced its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 16.0%, selling 20,621 shares and now holding 108,522 shares valued at approximately $5.45 million.
• Several institutional investors have increased their stakes, notably Goldman Sachs Group Inc. which raised its position by 98.1% during the first quarter.
• Chipotle's stock recently opened at $41.47, down 2.9%, with a target price average of $60.71 as per equities research analysts.

Mizuho Securities USA LLC lowered its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG - Free Report) by 16.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 108,522 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 20,621 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $5,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Covestor Ltd increased its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5.3% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 4,782 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Cynosure Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 37.2% during the first quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 6,420 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 1,741 shares during the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 3.7% during the first quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 27,181 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,365,000 after buying an additional 973 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the first quarter valued at about $433,000. Finally, Founders Financial Alliance LLC lifted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 39.9% during the first quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 6,170 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 1,759 shares during the last quarter. 91.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In other Chipotle Mexican Grill news, insider Roger E. Theodoredis sold 113,875 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.70, for a total value of $5,659,587.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 109,815 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,457,805.50. This represents a 50.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.02% of the company's stock.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CMG traded up $0.45 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $43.28. 10,381,866 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,036,885. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 1-year low of $41.18 and a 1-year high of $66.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.67, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.05. The company's 50-day moving average price is $50.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.41.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on CMG. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Monday, July 14th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $58.00 to $54.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $65.00 to $60.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective (down previously from $62.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Chipotle Mexican Grill presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $60.61.

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.