Short Interest in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Declines By 6.1%

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 25,660,000 shares, a decline of 6.1% from the November 15th total of 27,320,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 9,550,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 4,404 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.01, for a total transaction of $286,304.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 185,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,078,337.92. The trade was a 2.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Curtis E. Garner sold 15,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.05, for a total transaction of $898,537.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 457,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,115,436.20. The trade was a 3.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RiverPark Advisors LLC lifted its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4,900.0% during the second quarter. RiverPark Advisors LLC now owns 400 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 392 shares during the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the second quarter worth $25,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group raised its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4,900.0% during the second quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 400 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 392 shares during the last quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5,525.0% during the second quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 450 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 442 shares during the period. 91.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE:CMG traded down $0.68 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $64.12. 4,052,421 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,357,408. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.09, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.27. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 52 week low of $44.08 and a 52 week high of $69.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $60.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.21.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.82 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 13.51% and a return on equity of 43.20%. The firm’s revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.23 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.11 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on CMG. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $69.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Monday, September 30th. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Chipotle Mexican Grill currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.55.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Company Profile

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.