Principal Financial Group Inc. Raises Position in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG)

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) by 24.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,095,508 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 417,770 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $120,743,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CMG. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC now owns 13,644 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $786,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.2% in the third quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. now owns 14,625 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $843,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Connable Office Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 0.6% during the third quarter. Connable Office Inc. now owns 31,928 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,840,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Albion Financial Group UT grew its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 14.4% in the third quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 1,430 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 8.7% in the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 2,313 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $133,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. 91.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In other Chipotle Mexican Grill 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 transaction, the insider now owns 185,792 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,078,337.92. This 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. Also, insider Curtis E. Garner sold 15,750 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.05, for a total transaction of $898,537.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 457,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,115,436.20. This represents a 3.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CMG opened at $61.87 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $84.30 billion, a PE ratio of 57.59, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.27. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $60.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $80.95. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 1-year low of $44.08 and a 1-year high of $69.26.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 13.51% and a return on equity of 43.20%. Chipotle Mexican Grill’s revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.23 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on CMG shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Monday, September 30th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Barclays boosted their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.55.

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.