Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) Insider Matthew Bush Sells 2,675 Shares

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) insider Matthew Bush sold 2,675 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.75, for a total transaction of $95,631.25. Following the sale, the insider owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $765,586.25. This trade represents a 11.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CMG opened at $38.05 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $33.91 and its 200-day moving average is $33.95. The company has a market cap of $48.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.94. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.03 and a 52-week high of $43.59.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.01. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 54.65% and a net margin of 11.43%.The business had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.33 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.14 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on CMG shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating and set a $36.00 price objective (up from $35.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $42.50 price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Stephens reissued a “positive” rating and set a $40.00 target price (up from $36.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Chipotle Mexican Grill currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.84.

Chipotle Mexican Grill News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Chipotle Mexican Grill this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Chipotle launched another buy-one-get-one promotion tied to U.S. tennis player Taylor Fritz and the U.S. Open. The campaign follows record redemptions from the company’s back-to-school offer and could support restaurant traffic, customer engagement, and near-term sales. Chipotle Taylor Fritz promotion
• Neutral Sentiment: Chipotle’s stock advanced even after Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a Neutral rating. Baird reduced its price target to $40 from $44, still implying modest upside, reflecting a less favorable risk-reward assessment rather than an outright bearish view. Baird downgrades Chipotle
• Negative Sentiment: Baird downgraded Chipotle to Neutral as it expects the chain may need to spend considerably more to generate slower sales growth than in the past. Higher marketing, labor, or other operating investments could pressure margins and reduce the company’s valuation appeal. Chipotle downgrade and growth concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Company insider Matthew R. Bush sold 2,675 CMG shares for approximately $95,631, reducing his direct ownership by 11.1%. While a single insider sale does not establish a broader trend and may be routine, it can modestly weigh on sentiment. SEC insider trading filing

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,417,475,000. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 3,133.9% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 66,453,578 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,259,422,000 after acquiring an additional 64,398,656 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the fourth quarter valued at about $711,837,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 144,588,220 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $5,349,764,000 after purchasing an additional 18,660,882 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 15.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.30% of the company’s stock.

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

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.