Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Short Interest Update

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 17,590,000 shares, a decline of 23.7% from the February 13th total of 23,060,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 10,730,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days. Currently, 1.3% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CMG. Loop Capital raised shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Citigroup raised their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Cfra upgraded shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $59.00 to $73.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $63.00 to $60.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.85.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Down 3.9 %

NYSE:CMG traded down $1.93 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $47.72. 17,971,447 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,159,245. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $55.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.89. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a one year low of $47.57 and a one year high of $69.26. The firm has a market cap of $64.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.27.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 42.92% and a net margin of 13.56%. Equities analysts predict that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thoma Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $288,000. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 26,323 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,587,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter worth about $302,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 159.6% during the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 97,343 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,870,000 after purchasing an additional 59,852 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Old North State Trust LLC increased its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Old North State Trust LLC now owns 23,620 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,424,000 after buying an additional 1,071 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.31% of the company’s stock.

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.