Whittier Trust Co. Reduces Position in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. $CMG

Key Points

• Whittier Trust cut its stake in Chipotle by 88.5% in Q4, selling 915,536 shares and leaving the firm with 119,273 shares valued at about $4.61 million.
• Chipotle slightly beat quarterly expectations with $0.25 EPS vs. $0.24 est. and $2.98 billion in revenue (up 4.9% YoY), and analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average price target of $47.13.

Whittier Trust Co. cut its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG - Free Report) by 88.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119,273 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 915,536 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.'s holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $4,606,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CMG. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp boosted its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 106.7% during the 3rd quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 775 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. 91.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

Shares of CMG opened at $35.71 on Friday. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 1-year low of $29.75 and a 1-year high of $58.42. The company has a 50-day moving average of $34.97 and a 200 day moving average of $36.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.32, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 47.99%. The business had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.25 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% 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

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Monday, January 26th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $37.00 to $40.00 in a report on Friday, March 20th. Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $47.13.

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

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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