Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Shares Purchased by Birinyi Associates Inc.

Birinyi Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 108,020 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 1,480 shares during the quarter. Chipotle Mexican Grill accounts for about 1.8% of Birinyi Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Birinyi Associates Inc.’s holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $6,514,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Congress Asset Management Co. purchased a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $109,396,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 674.3% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,122,778 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $122,314,000 after purchasing an additional 1,848,625 shares in the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 123.3% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 2,471,335 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $142,398,000 after purchasing an additional 1,364,635 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 224.2% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 1,696,457 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $97,750,000 after purchasing an additional 1,173,207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Premier Fund Managers Ltd purchased a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $57,335,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.31% of the company’s stock.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

Chipotle Mexican Grill stock opened at $52.53 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $57.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $58.12. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $47.98 and a fifty-two week high of $69.26. The firm has a market cap of $71.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.27.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 13.56% and a return on equity of 42.92%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CMG shares. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. KeyCorp decreased their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $66.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.31.

Insider Activity at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In related news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 4,404 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.01, for a total value of $286,304.04. Following the sale, the insider now owns 185,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,078,337.92. The trade was a 2.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. It sells food and beverages through offering burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, tacos, and salads. The company also provides delivery and related services its app and website. It has operations in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.