Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Stock Has Average Target Price of $43.91

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty-three brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twenty-three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $43.91.

CMG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $53.00 price objective (up from $50.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $40.00 price target (down from $44.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Monday, August 24th.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Chipotle Mexican Grill stock opened at $32.44 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.04 billion, a PE ratio of 29.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.96. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a one year low of $28.03 and a one year high of $42.81. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $34.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $33.61.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.01. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 11.43% and a return on equity of 54.65%. The company had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.33 earnings per share. Chipotle Mexican Grill’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In other Chipotle Mexican Grill news, insider Matthew R. Bush sold 2,675 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.75, for a total transaction of $95,631.25. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at $765,586.25. The trade was a 11.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.45% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Chipotle Mexican Grill

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CMG. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,596 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $568,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI increased its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 12,708 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $407,000 after buying an additional 311 shares during the period. ANB Bank increased its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. ANB Bank now owns 6,317 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $202,000 after buying an additional 349 shares during the period. State of Wyoming raised its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 3,759 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $120,000 after buying an additional 368 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 13,275 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $425,000 after buying an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.30% of the company’s stock.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Company Profile

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc is a fast-casual restaurant company that specializes in Mexican-inspired food made with a limited number of core ingredients. Its menu includes burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, quesadillas, salads and sides, with options such as chicken, steak, barbacoa, carnitas, sofritas and vegetables. The company also offers beverages, including soft drinks and other drinks, and allows customers to customize meals.

Founded by Steve Ells in 1993, Chipotle operates company-owned restaurants under the Chipotle Mexican Grill brand.