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

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) saw some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders bought 72,766 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 51% compared to the typical volume of 48,238 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $43.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $53.00 target price (up from $50.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $40.00 price target (up from $36.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.84.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Matthew R. Bush sold 2,675 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.75, for a total transaction of $95,631.25. Following the sale, the insider owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $765,586.25. This represents a 11.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Chipotle Mexican Grill

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,596 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $568,000 after buying an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI increased its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 12,708 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. ANB Bank increased its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. ANB Bank now owns 6,317 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $202,000 after acquiring an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming increased its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 3,759 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $120,000 after acquiring an additional 368 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 13,275 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $425,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares during the period. 91.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

CMG traded up $0.46 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $31.79. The stock had a trading volume of 31,418,635 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,429,537. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 1 year low of $28.03 and a 1 year high of $42.81. The business has a fifty day moving average of $34.83 and a 200 day moving average of $33.66. The company has a market cap of $40.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.94.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.33 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 11.43% and a return on equity of 54.65%. The business’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.33 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.15 earnings per share for the current year.

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc is a fast-casual restaurant company that operates restaurants under the Chipotle Mexican Grill brand. Its menu centers on customizable Mexican-inspired food, including burritos, bowls, tacos and salads, along with sides, beverages and children’s meals.

The company emphasizes cooking with responsibly sourced ingredients and preparing food in its restaurants. Customers can order meals in person, through digital ordering channels, for pickup or delivery. Chipotle serves customers primarily in the United States, with additional restaurants in Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

Chipotle was founded in 1993 by Steve Ells in Denver, Colorado.