Van ECK Associates Corp Sells 16,768 Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG)

Van ECK Associates Corp reduced its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 331,662 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 16,768 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $19,999,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 4th quarter worth $371,000. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 155.1% in the 4th quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,918 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $900,000 after purchasing an additional 9,070 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5,897.8% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 48,942 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,820,000 after purchasing an additional 48,126 shares during the period. L & S Advisors Inc bought a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 3rd quarter worth $3,256,000. Finally, Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. increased its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 177,630 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $10,711,000 after buying an additional 29,140 shares in the last quarter. 91.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CMG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Stephens cut their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $61.00 to $60.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup increased their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Chipotle Mexican Grill has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.31.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CMG opened at $57.06 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $77.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.39, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.27. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 1 year low of $47.98 and a 1 year high of $69.26. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.03.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 13.56% and a return on equity of 42.92%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 4,404 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction that occurred on 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. The trade was a 2.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.02% 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.