J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Cuts Holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG)

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG reduced its Chipotle holdings by 60.3% in Q1, now owning 81,200 shares valued at $4.08 million.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill reported $0.33 earnings per share for the latest quarter, surpassing estimates, with a net margin of 13.32%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Chipotle's stock, with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $60.71.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG cut its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG - Free Report) by 60.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 81,200 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 123,208 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $4,077,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CMG. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4,138,574.1% during the fourth quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 8,318,735 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $501,620,000 after acquiring an additional 8,318,534 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 114.2% during the fourth quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 8,986,971 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $541,914,000 after acquiring an additional 4,790,464 shares during the period. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5,319.7% during the first quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 4,848,990 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $235,580,000 after purchasing an additional 4,759,520 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the first quarter valued at approximately $127,892,000. Finally, Sarasin & Partners LLP boosted its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1,016.6% during the first quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 2,482,333 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $124,638,000 after purchasing an additional 2,260,016 shares in the last quarter. 91.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Roger E. Theodoredis sold 113,875 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.70, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 50.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock traded down $0.35 during trading on Friday, hitting $42.53. 19,080,870 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, 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 $52.08. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 52-week low of $42.46 and a 52-week high of $66.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.97, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CMG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Monday, July 14th. They set a "hold" rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $56.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $60.71.

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

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.