American Century Companies Inc. Cuts Stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. $CMG

American Century Companies Inc. lowered its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) by 48.4% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 10,965,031 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 10,292,635 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $429,720,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CMG. Norges Bank bought a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the second quarter worth about $1,001,668,000. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP bought a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 2nd quarter valued at about $597,031,000. BlueSpruce Investments LP grew its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 24,760.7% in the 2nd quarter. BlueSpruce Investments LP now owns 3,930,732 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $220,711,000 after buying an additional 3,914,921 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 125,927,338 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $4,935,092,000 after acquiring an additional 2,470,213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 2,705.6% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,126,682 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $119,413,000 after acquiring an additional 2,050,882 shares in the last quarter. 91.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Chipotle Mexican Grill News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain generally constructive on CMG despite recent weakness — many brokerages still rate the name favorably, supporting demand when sentiment stabilizes. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About Chipotle (CMG)
• Positive Sentiment: Company plans ~350 new restaurants in 2026 (heavy on Chipotlanes), which management expects to drive systemwide sales growth even as comps remain soft — expansion could support revenue and long-term unit economics. Can Unit Expansion Support Chipotle’s Systemwide Sales in 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: Industry initiatives like loyalty/rewards programs (including Chipotle’s efforts) are improving customer retention and frequency, a constructive demand tailwind over time. Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Chipotle Reward Loyal Customers. It Brings Them Back.
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares are down ~28% over the past year, prompting renewed valuation debates — some see current levels as opportunity, others cite execution risk; this keeps volatility elevated. Is Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) Pricing Look Reasonable After A 27.9% One Year Decline
• Neutral Sentiment: CMG has underperformed the broader consumer cyclical sector over the past year, though many analysts still project mid-term recovery — underperformance raises sensitivity to macro and execution news. Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock: Is CMG Underperforming the Consumer Cyclical Sector?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent FY2025 results showed only 4.9% revenue growth, flat adjusted EPS, a 2.5% comp sales decline and margin pressure from wage inflation; management trimmed outlook — these fundamentals are a clear near-term headwind for the stock. Is Slower Comps and Rising Costs Altering The Investment Case For Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG)?
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~19.6% to ~36.5M shares as of Feb. 13, increasing bearish pressure and the potential for sharper moves on negative headlines (days-to-cover ~1.5).
• Negative Sentiment: Faster-growing fast-casual peers (e.g., Cava’s recent strong growth) highlight competitive pressure and investor preference for higher-growth concepts, which can widen valuation gaps. Cava trounces fast-casual peers with 22% revenue growth

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CMG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $47.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Chipotle Mexican Grill has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $47.24.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE CMG opened at $37.18 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $48.43 billion, a PE ratio of 32.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.99. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 12-month low of $29.75 and a 12-month high of $58.42. The company has a 50-day moving average of $38.49 and a 200 day moving average of $38.13.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.96 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 47.99%. The company’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.25 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Profile

Chipotle Mexican Grill is a fast-casual restaurant company known for its Mexican-inspired menu of burritos, bowls, tacos and salads. Founded in 1993 by Steve Ells, the chain emphasizes fresh, customizable meals made from a limited menu of core ingredients and a focus on ingredient quality. Chipotle operates primarily company-owned restaurants and offers dine-in, takeout, catering and delivery through its own digital platforms and third-party partners.

The company is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, and traces its roots to Denver, Colorado.