Chipotle Mexican Grill Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:CMG)

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors acquired 101,138 put options on the company. This is an increase of 130% compared to the average volume of 43,886 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CMG. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Zacks Research raised Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Barclays cut their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, DA Davidson initiated coverage on Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Friday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $51.00 price objective on the stock. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Chipotle Mexican Grill currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.10.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the third quarter worth $25,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. 91.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Shares of CMG stock traded down $0.02 on Friday, hitting $35.37. 15,027,031 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 21,355,496. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.96. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.08. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a one year low of $28.03 and a one year high of $57.25.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.24. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 11.96% and a return on equity of 49.64%. The company’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.29 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Company 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.