Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) Stock Gets Price Target Cut from Wells Fargo & Company

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) had its price objective decreased by Wells Fargo & Company from $45.00 to $40.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on CMG. BTIG Research reiterated 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 raised their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $42.00 to $39.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $47.00 price objective (up from $45.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Twenty-seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Chipotle Mexican Grill has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.56.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

CMG stock opened at $27.51 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $33.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.33. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 12 month low of $27.31 and a 12 month high of $42.19. The company has a market cap of $34.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.96.

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, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.33 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.33 EPS. Chipotle Mexican Grill’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In other news, insider Matthew R. Bush sold 2,675 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.75, for a total value of $95,631.25. Following the sale, the insider owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $765,586.25. The trade was a 11.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.45% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CMG. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its stake in shares of 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 worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. ANB Bank lifted its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. State of Wyoming lifted its holdings 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 valued at $120,000 after buying an additional 368 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. grew its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 13,275 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $425,000 after buying an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Western Pacific Wealth Management LP grew its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 26.3% in the 1st quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 2,023 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 421 shares in the last quarter. 91.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Chipotle Mexican Grill

Here are the key news stories impacting Chipotle Mexican Grill this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Despite the recent weakness, several analysts still see significant upside. Mizuho lowered its target from $43 to $37 but retained an “outperform” rating, while Deutsche Bank maintained a “buy” rating after reducing its target from $51 to $45. Mizuho analyst rating
• Positive Sentiment: Chipotle is relying on menu innovation, digital initiatives, loyalty programs, marketing and pricing to support sales. Its scale and historically strong profitability remain longer-term investment positives. Chipotle Q3 earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Chipotle is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings on October 28. Analysts are watching sales trends, restaurant traffic, digital performance and margins more closely than headline revenue and earnings estimates. Chipotle Q3 earnings expectations
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen downgraded CMG from “buy” to “hold” and cut its price target from $44 to $32, citing weak October data and slowing sales. The analyst now questions whether Chipotle can achieve the expected fourth-quarter improvement. Why Chipotle stock is trading lower
• Negative Sentiment: A former long-standing Chipotle bull moved to the sidelines after signs of a soft start to the fourth quarter, adding to concerns about weaker sales growth in 2027. Chipotle softening sales
• Negative Sentiment: Rising food, labor and operating expenses threaten margins, while recent price increases could further pressure customer traffic and demand. Chipotle price hikes
• Negative Sentiment: The combination of multiple target cuts, fresh downgrades and unusually heavy options activity is amplifying near-term volatility ahead of earnings. Chipotle stock dips

Chipotle Mexican Grill Company Profile

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc (NYSE: CMG) operates a chain of fast-casual restaurants focused on Mexican-inspired food. Its menu includes burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, quesadillas and salads, with options such as chicken, steak, barbacoa, carnitas, sofritas and vegetables. The company emphasizes preparing food in its restaurants from ingredients it describes as responsibly sourced, including meats raised with attention to animal welfare and produce from selected suppliers.

Founded by Steve Ells in 1993, Chipotle opened its first restaurant in Denver, Colorado.