HighTower Advisors LLC Acquires 133,150 Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. $CMG

HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) by 23.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 706,632 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 133,150 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $27,693,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,804 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $290,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4.6% during the third quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,703 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period. Scotia Capital Inc. boosted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 76,358 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $4,288,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. now owns 14,632 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $573,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the period. Finally, Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc increased its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 37,391 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,465,000 after buying an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. 91.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

CMG opened at $38.77 on Thursday. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 1 year low of $29.75 and a 1 year high of $58.42. The company has a market capitalization of $50.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $38.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.35.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 47.99%. The company had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CMG has been the subject of a number of research reports. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Zacks Research cut shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $47.24.

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.