Cfra Upgrades Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) to “Strong-Buy”

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) was upgraded by stock analysts at Cfra from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. The brokerage presently has a $73.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock, up from their previous target price of $59.00. Cfra’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 23.52% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted 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. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $69.00 price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.10.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Chipotle Mexican Grill stock opened at $59.10 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $60.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $57.80. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a fifty-two week low of $47.98 and a fifty-two week high of $69.26. The company has a market capitalization of $80.53 billion, a PE ratio of 55.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.27.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last issued 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 13.51% and a return on equity of 43.20%. On average, analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

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 transaction of $286,304.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 185,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,078,337.92. This represents a 2.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Chipotle Mexican Grill

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Transcendent Capital Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 950.0% in the 3rd quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC now owns 525 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 475 shares during the period. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1,110.0% in the 4th 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.31% of the company’s stock.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Company 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.