Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Cuts Stock Position in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG)

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership trimmed its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) by 51.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,799,733 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 4,046,532 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned 0.28% of Chipotle Mexican Grill worth $229,124,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ethos Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1,110.0% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 605 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 555 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.31% of the company’s stock.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CMG opened at $50.05 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $67.83 billion, a PE ratio of 45.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.27. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 12 month low of $47.55 and a 12 month high of $69.26. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $54.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.61.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 42.92% and a net margin of 13.56%. On average, analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $65.00 to $70.00 in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens cut their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $61.00 to $60.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Cfra upgraded Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $59.00 to $73.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $64.00 to $58.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Chipotle Mexican Grill has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.67.

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.