Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG)

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders bought 103,572 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 105% compared to the average daily volume of 50,606 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Roger E. Theodoredis sold 113,875 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.70, for a total transaction of $5,659,587.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 109,815 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,457,805.50. This represents a 50.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CMG. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs bought a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 1st quarter worth $2,539,000. Maple Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5.3% during the first quarter. Maple Capital Management Inc. now owns 330,664 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $16,603,000 after purchasing an additional 16,537 shares during the period. 1248 Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the first quarter worth about $27,000. First Hawaiian Bank increased its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 42,538 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $2,136,000 after purchasing an additional 960 shares during the period. Finally, Modern Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 8.7% during the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,790 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the period. 91.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE CMG traded down $0.89 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $54.25. The company had a trading volume of 13,119,295 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,955,680. The stock has a market cap of $73.09 billion, a PE ratio of 48.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.06. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a one year low of $44.46 and a one year high of $66.74. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $50.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.80.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The restaurant operator reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.98 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 43.29% and a net margin of 13.59%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $13.37 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CMG shares. TD Securities reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $55.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $62.00 to $56.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $49.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $58.00 to $54.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Ten research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Chipotle Mexican Grill has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.