Insider Selling: Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) CEO Sells 991 Shares of Stock

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG – Get Rating) CEO Brian R. Niccol sold 991 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,537.37, for a total value of $1,523,533.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 23,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,892,977.39. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Shares of CMG opened at $1,590.76 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $43.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.30. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a one year low of $1,196.28 and a one year high of $1,754.56. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $1,557.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,539.49.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 7th. The restaurant operator reported $8.29 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.88 by ($0.59). Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 10.41% and a return on equity of 40.96%. The business had revenue of $2.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.58 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 41.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on CMG. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,713.00 to $1,657.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,800.00 to $1,900.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,725.00 to $1,875.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. Raymond James boosted their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,750.00 to $1,900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,600.00 to $1,800.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Chipotle Mexican Grill currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,844.79.

Institutional Trading of Chipotle Mexican Grill

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. FourThought Financial LLC raised its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 350.0% during the third quarter. FourThought Financial LLC now owns 18 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Elequin Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Heritage Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Wealth Management LLC now owns 20 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 1st quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.26% of the company’s stock.

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

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Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc engages in the development and operation of classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. It offers a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls, and salads prepared using classic cooking methods. The company was founded by Steve Ells in 1993 and is headquartered in Newport Beach, CA.