Investors Purchase Large Volume of Chipotle Mexican Grill Put Options (NYSE:CMG)

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) was the target of some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock traders purchased 101,720 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 106% compared to the typical volume of 49,326 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on CMG shares. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $42.50 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Stephens restated a “positive” rating and set a $40.00 price objective (up from $36.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $53.00 target price (up from $50.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $40.00 price target (down from $44.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.91.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CMG opened at $30.89 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $39.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.34, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.96. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 1 year low of $28.03 and a 1 year high of $42.81. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $33.57.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.33 EPS. Chipotle Mexican Grill’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In other news, insider Matthew R. Bush sold 2,675 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.75, for a total value of $95,631.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $765,586.25. This represents a 11.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.45% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Chipotle Mexican Grill

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. 91.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Company Profile

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc is a fast-casual restaurant company that specializes in Mexican-inspired food made with a limited number of core ingredients. Its menu includes burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, quesadillas, salads and sides, with options such as chicken, steak, barbacoa, carnitas, sofritas and vegetables. The company also offers beverages, including soft drinks and other drinks, and allows customers to customize meals.

Founded by Steve Ells in 1993, Chipotle operates company-owned restaurants under the Chipotle Mexican Grill brand.