Stephens Begins Coverage on Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG)

Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) in a research note published on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued an equal weight rating and a $3,010.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on CMG. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $3,016.00 to $3,358.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,100.00 to $2,400.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Wedbush boosted their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,400.00 to $2,850.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. UBS Group increased their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,900.00 to $3,400.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,225.00 to $2,525.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, January 5th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Chipotle Mexican Grill has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $2,720.59.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock opened at $2,957.60 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $81.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a 50-day moving average of $2,749.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2,355.75. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 1 year low of $1,706.14 and a 1 year high of $3,023.98.

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill are scheduled to split on Wednesday, June 26th. The 50-1 split was announced on Tuesday, March 19th. The newly created shares will be payable to shareholders after the closing bell on Tuesday, June 25th.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The restaurant operator reported $10.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.73 by $0.63. The firm had revenue of $2.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.49 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 44.41% and a net margin of 12.45%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.29 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 53.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Christopher W. Brandt sold 3,149 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,927.84, for a total value of $9,219,768.16. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,071,093.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Brian R. Niccol sold 1,996 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,399.91, for a total transaction of $4,790,220.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 22,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,870,779.77. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Christopher W. Brandt sold 3,149 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,927.84, for a total value of $9,219,768.16. Following the sale, the insider now owns 8,563 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,071,093.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 6,793 shares of company stock worth $18,321,152. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Chipotle Mexican Grill

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Steph & Co. acquired a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the second quarter worth $32,000. IMA Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 185.7% in the first quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 20 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 91.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Company Profile

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.