Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Buys 2,223,142 Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. $CMG

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) by 327.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,901,809 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,223,142 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $107,367,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $5,349,764,000 after purchasing an additional 18,660,882 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $3,762,457,000 after purchasing an additional 13,843,222 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 45,294,212 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,675,895,000 after purchasing an additional 6,796,285 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $711,837,000. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 206.4% in the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 14,062,158 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $520,300,000 after purchasing an additional 9,473,120 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on CMG shares. Barclays dropped their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research upgraded Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. DA Davidson started coverage on Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Friday, March 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $51.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.48.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock opened at $32.20 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.99. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 12 month low of $28.03 and a 12 month high of $58.42.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 49.64% and a net margin of 11.96%.Chipotle Mexican Grill’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.29 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.