11,487,584 Shares in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) Purchased by Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd

Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 11,487,584 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $692,701,000. Chipotle Mexican Grill accounts for approximately 3.8% of Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CMG. Congress Asset Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the third quarter valued at approximately $109,396,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,848,625 shares in the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,364,635 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 224.2% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 1,696,457 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $97,750,000 after buying an additional 1,173,207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Premier Fund Managers Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the third quarter valued at approximately $57,335,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.31% of the company’s stock.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Shares of CMG opened at $53.43 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $72.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.27. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $57.71 and a 200-day moving average of $58.09. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 1 year low of $47.98 and a 1 year high of $69.26.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 13.56% and a return on equity of 42.92%. Analysts predict that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Chipotle Mexican Grill news, insider Laurie Schalow sold 4,404 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.01, for a total value 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. The trade was a 2.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on CMG shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Barclays decreased their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $63.00 to $60.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.31.

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.