Marks Group Wealth Management Inc Trims Holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. $CMG

Key Points

• Marks Group Wealth Management sharply reduced its Chipotle stake by 90.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 95,981 shares and leaving it with 9,740 shares valued at about $360,000.
• Institutional investors remain heavily invested in Chipotle overall, with Vanguard, Capital World Investors, Capital International Investors, Norges Bank and others adding shares; institutions now own about 91.3% of the stock.
• Analysts are mixed but still broadly constructive: Chipotle has a Moderate Buy consensus, a consensus price target of $45.48, and recent target changes included both upgrades and small cuts from major firms.

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc cut its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG - Free Report) by 90.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,740 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 95,981 shares during the quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc's holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $360,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 144,588,220 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $5,349,764,000 after purchasing an additional 18,660,882 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 15.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 101,688,010 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $3,762,457,000 after purchasing an additional 13,843,222 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 17.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 45,294,212 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,675,895,000 after purchasing an additional 6,796,285 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 4th quarter worth approximately $711,837,000. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 206.4% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 14,062,158 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $520,300,000 after purchasing an additional 9,473,120 shares during the period. 91.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $43.00 to $41.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Guggenheim cut their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Argus upgraded Chipotle Mexican Grill from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $40.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Chipotle Mexican Grill from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their target price for the company from $38.00 to $35.00 in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $45.48.

Trending Headlines about Chipotle Mexican Grill

Here are the key news stories impacting Chipotle Mexican Grill this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Chipotle launched its first-ever Matchday BOGO promotion for fans wearing soccer jerseys in the U.S., Canada and U.K., along with a limited-edition jersey and Rewards badge, which may help drive customer visits and brand engagement. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Chipotle’s ongoing loyalty and community efforts, including fundraising tied to “No Kid Hungry,” reinforce the brand and may support customer goodwill. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary suggests CMG may be a “hold” after its recent slump, indicating investors are waiting for clearer signs of a turnaround. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles focused on Chipotle’s valuation and recent share-performance softness highlight fading momentum and weaker year-to-date returns, keeping investor sentiment cautious. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish takes arguing that CMG is too expensive given weak comps growth and macro headwinds add pressure to the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Another Seeking Alpha piece argued the recent plunge still hasn’t made Chipotle attractive enough, reinforcing concerns that the shares remain under pressure. Article Title

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Shares of CMG stock opened at $29.87 on Wednesday. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $28.03 and a fifty-two week high of $58.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.40, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.99. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $32.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $35.21.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 49.64% and a net margin of 11.96%.The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.29 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Profile

Chipotle Mexican Grill is a fast-casual restaurant company known for its Mexican-inspired menu of burritos, bowls, tacos and salads. Founded in 1993 by Steve Ells, the chain emphasizes fresh, customizable meals made from a limited menu of core ingredients and a focus on ingredient quality. Chipotle operates primarily company-owned restaurants and offers dine-in, takeout, catering and delivery through its own digital platforms and third-party partners.

The company is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, and traces its roots to Denver, Colorado.

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