Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) Receives Outperform Rating from Royal Bank of Canada

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Royal Bank of Canada in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $75.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price target points to a potential upside of 30.59% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Tuesday. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.99.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Chipotle Mexican Grill stock opened at $57.43 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $60.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.72. The firm has a market cap of $78.25 billion, a PE ratio of 53.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.27. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a twelve month low of $46.29 and a twelve month high of $69.26.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 4,404 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was 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 $12,078,337.92. The trade was a 2.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Chipotle Mexican Grill

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ZRC Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 384.0% in the 3rd quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 484 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 950.0% during the third quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC now owns 525 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares during the period. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 91.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.