Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) saw 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 sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 243,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.6 days.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

CMG opened at $3,156.12 on Wednesday. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a fifty-two week low of $1,768.64 and a fifty-two week high of $3,241.42. The business has a 50-day moving average of $2,846.57 and a 200-day moving average of $2,454.12. The company has a market capitalization of $86.70 billion, a PE ratio of 67.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.28.

Chipotle Mexican Grill shares are scheduled to split on the morning of Wednesday, June 26th. The 50-1 split was announced on Tuesday, March 19th. The newly created shares will be issued to shareholders after the closing bell on Tuesday, June 25th.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The restaurant operator reported $13.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.63 by $1.74. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 43.74% and a net margin of 12.70%. The business had revenue of $2.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.67 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 55.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In related news, insider Roger E. Theodoredis sold 2,509 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,164.44, for a total transaction of $7,939,579.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,433,417.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Albert S. Baldocchi sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,608.51, for a total transaction of $1,956,382.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 37,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $97,221,776.21. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Roger E. Theodoredis sold 2,509 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,164.44, for a total value of $7,939,579.96. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,433,417.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 15,812 shares of company stock valued at $48,554,701. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CMG. Steph & Co. acquired a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. 91.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CMG. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,700.00 to $3,270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $2,986.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Citigroup increased their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $3,358.00 to $3,369.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $3,250.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $3,250.00 to $3,440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Chipotle Mexican Grill currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,137.12.

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.