Howard Capital Management Inc. Acquires 609 Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG)

Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) by 8.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,743 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 609 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $467,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 4th quarter valued at $371,000. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 155.1% in the fourth quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,918 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $900,000 after purchasing an additional 9,070 shares during the period. Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV bought a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the fourth quarter valued at $715,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5,897.8% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 48,942 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,820,000 after purchasing an additional 48,126 shares during the period. Finally, L & S Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter worth about $3,256,000. 91.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on CMG. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wedbush decreased their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $69.00 to $64.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Stephens cut their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $61.00 to $60.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Ten investment 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Chipotle Mexican Grill has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 4,404 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.01, for a total value 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 approximately $12,078,337.92. This trade represents a 2.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

NYSE CMG opened at $51.15 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $69.32 billion, a PE ratio of 46.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $58.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.14. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 52-week low of $47.98 and a 52-week high of $69.26.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.