Analysts Set Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Price Target at $43.84

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-three ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten 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 price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $43.8393.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $36.00 price target (up from $35.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Mizuho restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $43.00 price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Friday, July 31st.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CMG opened at $36.01 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $35.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.90. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 52-week low of $28.03 and a 52-week high of $42.81.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.01. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 54.65% and a net margin of 11.43%.The company had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.33 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.15 EPS 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 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $765,586.25. The trade was a 11.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CMG. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,804 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $290,000 after buying an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the fourth quarter valued at $224,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 26,460 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,329,000 after buying an additional 1,368 shares during the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 7,176.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,819 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 1,794 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC raised its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 88.8% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 274,375 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $15,406,000 after buying an additional 129,066 shares during the last quarter. 91.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.