Sustainable Growth Advisers LP Sells 2,818,114 Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. $CMG

Sustainable Growth Advisers LP lessened its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) by 22.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,677,524 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 2,818,114 shares during the quarter. Chipotle Mexican Grill accounts for 2.5% of Sustainable Growth Advisers LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP owned about 0.74% of Chipotle Mexican Grill worth $358,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CMG. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp grew its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 106.7% during the 3rd quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 775 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Winthrop Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 109.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 890 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on CMG shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Stephens increased their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.03.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

NYSE:CMG opened at $30.54 on Tuesday. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $29.75 and a fifty-two week high of $58.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $33.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $35.29.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24. The company had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.07 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 11.96% and a return on equity of 49.64%. Chipotle Mexican Grill’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.29 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.13 EPS for the current year.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Profile

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.