Chipotle Mexican Grill Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:CMG)

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) was the target of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors purchased 101,720 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 106% compared to the typical daily volume of 49,326 put options.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Matthew R. Bush sold 2,675 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.75, for a total value of $95,631.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 21,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $765,586.25. This trade represents a 11.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CMG. Park National Corp OH boosted its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 442.1% during the third quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 309,327 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $9,883,000 after buying an additional 252,265 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 7,051.6% in the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 243,726 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $7,787,000 after buying an additional 240,318 shares in the last quarter. Polaris Financial Partners purchased a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the third quarter valued at about $137,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 317.8% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 498,275 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $16,941,000 after acquiring an additional 379,020 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 623.0% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 200,958 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $6,833,000 after acquiring an additional 173,163 shares during the period. 91.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Down 4.7%

Shares of CMG stock opened at $30.85 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $34.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $33.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.04 billion, a PE ratio of 28.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.96. Chipotle Mexican Grill has a 52-week low of $28.03 and a 52-week high of $42.81.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.01. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 11.43% and a return on equity of 54.65%. The company had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.33 EPS. Chipotle Mexican Grill’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Chipotle Mexican Grill will post 1.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $53.00 price target (up from $50.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $46.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Chipotle Mexican Grill has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.91.

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc is a fast-casual restaurant company that specializes in Mexican-inspired food made with a limited number of core ingredients. Its menu includes burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, quesadillas, salads and sides, with options such as chicken, steak, barbacoa, carnitas, sofritas and vegetables. The company also offers beverages, including soft drinks and other drinks, and allows customers to customize meals.

Founded by Steve Ells in 1993, Chipotle operates company-owned restaurants under the Chipotle Mexican Grill brand.