Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lessened its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG - Free Report) by 97.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,096 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 39,451 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund's holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $66,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of CMG. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 1,087.9% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,712,724 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $271,547,000 after purchasing an additional 4,315,983 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. acquired a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the third quarter valued at $109,396,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 674.3% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,122,778 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $122,314,000 after purchasing an additional 1,848,625 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5,188.9% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,421,140 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $818,860,000 after purchasing an additional 1,394,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 123.3% in the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 2,471,335 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $142,398,000 after purchasing an additional 1,364,635 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on CMG shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $66.00 to $64.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $65.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Chipotle Mexican Grill has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $66.31.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CMG traded down $1.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $51.66. 8,789,937 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,680,032. The firm has a market cap of $70.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.55, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.27. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 52-week low of $47.98 and a 52-week high of $69.26. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $58.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.11.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 EPS 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 research analysts expect that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In related news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 4,404 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.01, for a total transaction of $286,304.04. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 185,792 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,078,337.92. This trade represents a 2.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.02% of the company's stock.

Chipotle Mexican Grill 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.