Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Short Interest Up 15.7% in April

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 875,000 shares, an increase of 15.7% from the March 31st total of 756,000 shares. Currently, 3.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 243,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CMG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,400.00 to $2,850.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,300.00 price objective (up previously from $2,825.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $3,400.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,400.00 to $2,865.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,500.00 to $2,750.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,137.12.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CMG traded up $19.46 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $3,206.43. 245,789 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 242,638. The company’s 50 day moving average is $2,822.95 and its 200 day moving average is $2,434.49. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a one year low of $1,768.64 and a one year high of $3,241.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.08 billion, a PE ratio of 67.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.28.

Chipotle Mexican Grill’s stock is set to split on Wednesday, June 26th. The 50-1 split was announced on Tuesday, March 19th. The newly issued shares will be distributed to shareholders after the market closes on Tuesday, June 25th.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The restaurant operator reported $13.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.63 by $1.74. The firm had revenue of $2.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 12.70% and a return on equity of 43.74%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 55.08 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Chipotle Mexican Grill news, insider Roger E. Theodoredis sold 898 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,622.25, for a total value of $2,354,780.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,529 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,009,420.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Chipotle Mexican Grill news, insider Christopher W. Brandt sold 3,149 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,927.84, for a total transaction of $9,219,768.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,071,093.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Roger E. Theodoredis sold 898 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,622.25, for a total transaction of $2,354,780.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,529 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,009,420.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,797 shares of company stock valued at $13,530,931 over the last ninety days. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 283,203 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $518,780,000 after purchasing an additional 13,513 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 9.2% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 95 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $174,000 after buying an additional 8 shares during the period. NewEdge Wealth LLC bought a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the third quarter valued at $205,000. Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 69.8% in the third quarter. Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC now owns 270 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $495,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 773 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,416,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares during the last quarter. 91.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.