Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. $CMG Stock Purchased by Howard Capital Management LLC

Howard Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) by 198.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,326 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,840 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $809,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Groupama Asset Managment increased its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 15,596 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $568,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 12,708 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. ANB Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. ANB Bank now owns 6,317 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming boosted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 3,759 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $120,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares during the period. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 13,275 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $425,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.30% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Chipotle Mexican Grill

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

• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James maintained an “outperform” rating while lowering its price target from $42.50 to $37.00. The revised target still implies substantial upside from recent trading levels, suggesting the firm views the recent decline as excessive. Raymond James lowers Chipotle price target
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target from $39 to $40, although it retained an “equal weight” rating. The move indicates modestly improved valuation expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: UBS expects Chipotle’s sales growth to strengthen in 2027, supported by new initiatives and investments intended to increase customer traffic and engagement. Historical performance also offers a potential seasonal catalyst: shares produced double-digit fourth-quarter returns in 2020 and 2023. History says Q4 will bring for Chipotle stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Restaurant chains, including Chipotle, are adjusting portion sizes, menu formats and pricing strategies as consumers become more price-conscious. These changes could support traffic but may also affect average checks and margins. Restaurant chains adjust menu strategies
• Negative Sentiment: UBS projects broadly in-line third-quarter sales, including same-store sales growth of 1.5%, but warns that weaker trends entering the fourth quarter could pressure near-term results. Sales growth and restaurant margins remain challenged ahead of the expected 2027 recovery. UBS outlook for Chipotle
• Negative Sentiment: Stephens lowered its price target from $40 to $38 and kept an “equal weight” rating, reinforcing concerns about limited near-term operating momentum.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock opened at $29.84 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $37.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.37, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.96. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 1 year low of $28.03 and a 1 year high of $42.74. The company’s fifty day moving average is $33.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.46.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.01. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 11.43% and a return on equity of 54.65%. The company had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.33 earnings per share. Chipotle Mexican Grill’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on CMG shares. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $47.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $40.00 price target (down from $44.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $46.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 13th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Friday, October 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In related news, insider Matthew R. Bush sold 2,675 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.75, for a total transaction of $95,631.25. Following the transaction, the insider owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $765,586.25. This trade represents a 11.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Profile

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc is a fast-casual restaurant company that specializes in Mexican-inspired food made with a limited number of core ingredients. Its menu includes burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, quesadillas, salads and sides, with options such as chicken, steak, barbacoa, carnitas, sofritas and vegetables. The company also offers beverages, including soft drinks and other drinks, and allows customers to customize meals.

Founded by Steve Ells in 1993, Chipotle operates company-owned restaurants under the Chipotle Mexican Grill brand.