Merit Financial Group LLC Has $2.71 Million Stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG)

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG - Free Report) by 20.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,996 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 7,740 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $2,713,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group grew its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4,900.0% in the second quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 400 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 392 shares in the last quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 384.0% during the 3rd quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 484 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 950.0% during the 3rd quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC now owns 525 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 475 shares during the last quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. 91.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on CMG. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Loop Capital raised their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $65.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $71.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $66.81.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE CMG traded down $0.84 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $57.52. 9,354,246 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,146,094. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $60.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.83. The stock has a market cap of $78.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.54, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.27. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a one year low of $46.01 and a one year high of $69.26.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.02. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 43.20% and a net margin of 13.51%. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.23 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 4,404 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.01, for a total transaction of $286,304.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 185,792 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,078,337.92. This trade represents a 2.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.02% of the company's stock.

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.