Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Shares Sold by National Pension Service

National Pension Service lessened its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) by 16.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,989,159 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 609,578 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $180,246,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 4th quarter worth approximately $371,000. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 155.1% in the fourth quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,918 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $900,000 after buying an additional 9,070 shares during the last quarter. Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the fourth quarter worth $715,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5,897.8% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 48,942 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,820,000 after buying an additional 48,126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, L & S Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,256,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In related news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 4,404 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.01, for a total transaction of $286,304.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 185,792 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,078,337.92. The trade was a 2.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on CMG shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Cfra raised Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $59.00 to $73.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.31.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Chipotle Mexican Grill stock opened at $53.43 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.27. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $57.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.09. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 1 year low of $47.98 and a 1 year high of $69.26.

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

Chipotle Mexican Grill Profile

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.