Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Chipotle Mexican Grill presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.24.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

CMG opened at $36.28 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $47.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.82, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $38.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.50. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a twelve month low of $29.75 and a twelve month high of $58.42.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 144,588,220 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,349,764,000 after acquiring an additional 18,660,882 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 101,688,010 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,762,457,000 after purchasing an additional 13,843,222 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 45,294,212 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,675,895,000 after purchasing an additional 6,796,285 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.9% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 33,111,508 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,859,211,000 after purchasing an additional 606,190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.1% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 29,659,508 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,657,193,000 after buying an additional 325,926 shares during the period. 91.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

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.