Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) Stock Rating Upgraded by Cfra

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Cfra from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $73.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $59.00. Cfra’s target price points to a potential upside of 27.46% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Loop Capital upped their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Chipotle Mexican Grill presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.31.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:CMG opened at $57.27 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $78.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.27. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 52 week low of $47.98 and a 52 week high of $69.26. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.84.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 43.20% and a net margin of 13.51%. Sell-side analysts expect that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In related news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 4,404 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.01, for a total transaction of $286,304.04. Following the sale, the insider now owns 185,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,078,337.92. The trade was a 2.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CMG. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 4th quarter worth approximately $692,701,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $315,220,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1,087.9% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,712,724 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $271,547,000 after acquiring an additional 4,315,983 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the third quarter valued at approximately $109,396,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 674.3% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,122,778 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $122,314,000 after acquiring an additional 1,848,625 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.31% of the company’s stock.

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.