Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-three brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twenty-three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $43.8571.

A number of analysts have commented on CMG shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $37.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Raymond James Financial cut their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $43.00 to $41.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays reduced their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CMG opened at $34.47 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $32.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.63, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.97. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 52-week low of $28.03 and a 52-week high of $54.29.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.24. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 11.96% and a return on equity of 49.64%. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.29 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Rule One Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 91.30% of the company’s stock.

More Chipotle Mexican Grill News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Chipotle and Wendy’s said their restaurants were not affected by the cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to lettuce at some Taco Bell locations, easing fears that the issue would spread to other fast-casual chains. Reuters article on cyclosporiasis outbreak
• Positive Sentiment: Chipotle opened its first restaurant in Mexico, a long-awaited international debut that could expand the brand’s growth runway and support sentiment around future store growth. Reuters article on Mexico debut
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts and market commentary pieces framed CMG as having improving traffic and rewards growth, but also noted that valuation and margin pressure remain key debates for the stock. Yahoo Finance comparison article
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary said Chipotle still looks fully priced after its recent decline, suggesting valuation may limit upside even after the recent rebound. Yahoo Finance valuation article
• Negative Sentiment: At least one market update said Chipotle underperformed peers on Thursday, reinforcing that the stock has been volatile and is still recovering from a sharp year-to-date slide. MarketWatch underperformance article

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.