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

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

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on CMG. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $65.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Chipotle Mexican Grill currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.10.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Up 1.3 %

Chipotle Mexican Grill stock opened at $59.10 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $80.53 billion, a PE ratio of 55.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.27. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 52-week low of $47.98 and a 52-week high of $69.26. The company’s 50 day moving average is $60.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.80.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last released 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 net margin of 13.51% and a return on equity of 43.20%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In other news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 4,404 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.01, for a total value of $286,304.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 185,792 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,078,337.92. This trade represents a 2.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Chipotle Mexican Grill

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.2% in the third quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 13,644 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.2% during the third quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. now owns 14,625 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $843,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Connable Office Inc. raised its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 0.6% during the third quarter. Connable Office Inc. now owns 31,928 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,840,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Albion Financial Group UT raised its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 14.4% during the third quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 1,430 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Traynor Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,522 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $454,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.