Analysts Set Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Price Target at $50.23

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-seven research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $50.2258.

CMG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $59.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $48.00 to $44.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

NYSE:CMG opened at $39.64 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $52.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.08, a PEG ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.97. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 1-year low of $29.75 and a 1-year high of $59.57. The business has a 50 day moving average of $36.74 and a 200 day moving average of $39.50.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.29. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 13.04% and a return on equity of 45.39%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.27 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CMG. Sarasin & Partners LLP boosted its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 2,565,111 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $102,348,000 after buying an additional 27,366 shares during the last quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. lifted its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 3,266.1% during the third quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. now owns 14,676 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $575,000 after purchasing an additional 14,240 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA raised its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 76.3% during the third quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 356,986 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $13,333,000 after acquiring an additional 154,512 shares during the period. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,579,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 7.1% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,596,483 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $145,793,000 after acquiring an additional 171,466 shares during the period. 91.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.