Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) & SSP Group (OTCMKTS:SSPPF) Critical Survey

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) and SSP Group (OTCMKTS:SSPPF) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings, profitability, dividends, risk and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Chipotle Mexican Grill and SSP Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Chipotle Mexican Grill	12.88%	47.99%	17.15%
SSP Group	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Chipotle Mexican Grill and SSP Group”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Chipotle Mexican Grill	$11.93 billion	3.62	$1.54 billion	$1.14	29.09
SSP Group	$4.75 billion	0.42	-$97.17 million	N/A	N/A

Chipotle Mexican Grill has higher revenue and earnings than SSP Group.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Chipotle Mexican Grill and SSP Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Chipotle Mexican Grill	1	11	24	0	2.64
SSP Group	0	1	2	0	2.67

Chipotle Mexican Grill currently has a consensus price target of $47.13, suggesting a potential upside of 42.13%. Given Chipotle Mexican Grill’s higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Chipotle Mexican Grill is more favorable than SSP Group.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

91.3% of Chipotle Mexican Grill shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.8% of Chipotle Mexican Grill shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk & Volatility

Chipotle Mexican Grill has a beta of 1.06, indicating that its share price is 6% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SSP Group has a beta of 0.46, indicating that its share price is 54% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Chipotle Mexican Grill beats SSP Group on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

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. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Newport Beach, California.

About SSP Group

SSP Group plc operates food and beverage outlets in North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and internationally. The company operates outlets at airports, railway stations, motorway service areas, hospitals, and shopping centers. It also operates sandwich shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants. SSP Group plc was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.