Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Sell”

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on CMG. Raymond James Financial boosted their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Chipotle Mexican Grill currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.24.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

CMG opened at $36.28 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $47.25 billion, a PE ratio of 31.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $38.13 and a 200-day moving average of $38.50. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 52-week low of $29.75 and a 52-week high of $58.42.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. 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 47.99% and a net margin of 12.88%.The firm had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.25 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 144,588,220 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,349,764,000 after acquiring an additional 18,660,882 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 101,688,010 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,762,457,000 after purchasing an additional 13,843,222 shares during the period. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 45,294,212 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,675,895,000 after purchasing an additional 6,796,285 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.9% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 33,111,508 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,859,211,000 after purchasing an additional 606,190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 29,659,508 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,657,193,000 after purchasing an additional 325,926 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.30% of the company’s stock.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Company Profile

Chipotle Mexican Grill is a fast-casual restaurant company known for its Mexican-inspired menu of burritos, bowls, tacos and salads. Founded in 1993 by Steve Ells, the chain emphasizes fresh, customizable meals made from a limited menu of core ingredients and a focus on ingredient quality. Chipotle operates primarily company-owned restaurants and offers dine-in, takeout, catering and delivery through its own digital platforms and third-party partners.

The company is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, and traces its roots to Denver, Colorado.