Principal Financial Group Inc. Grows Stock Position in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. $CMG

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Jul 18th, 2026

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG – Free Report) by 1.4% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,649,918 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,377 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $52,814,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Ankerstar Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 91.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James Financial lowered their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $43.00 to $41.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Argus raised Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $46.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.86.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Chipotle Mexican Grill this week:

Positive Sentiment: Chipotle and Wendy’s said their restaurants were not affected by the cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to lettuce at some Taco Bell locations, easing fears that the issue would spread to other fast-casual chains. Reuters article on cyclosporiasis outbreak
Positive Sentiment: Chipotle opened its first restaurant in Mexico, a long-awaited international debut that could expand the brand’s growth runway and support sentiment around future store growth. Reuters article on Mexico debut
Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts and market commentary pieces framed CMG as having improving traffic and rewards growth, but also noted that valuation and margin pressure remain key debates for the stock. Yahoo Finance comparison article
Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary said Chipotle still looks fully priced after its recent decline, suggesting valuation may limit upside even after the recent rebound. Yahoo Finance valuation article
Negative Sentiment: At least one market update said Chipotle underperformed peers on Thursday, reinforcing that the stock has been volatile and is still recovering from a sharp year-to-date slide. MarketWatch underperformance article

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CMG opened at $34.47 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $44.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.97. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 1 year low of $28.03 and a 1 year high of $54.29. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $32.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $34.90.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.24. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 49.64% and a net margin of 11.96%.The company had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.29 EPS. Chipotle Mexican Grill’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.13 EPS for the current year.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Profile

(Free Report)

Chipotle Mexican Grill is a fast-casual restaurant company known for its Mexican-inspired menu of burritos, bowls, tacos and salads. Founded in 1993 by Steve Ells, the chain emphasizes fresh, customizable meals made from a limited menu of core ingredients and a focus on ingredient quality. Chipotle operates primarily company-owned restaurants and offers dine-in, takeout, catering and delivery through its own digital platforms and third-party partners.

The company is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, and traces its roots to Denver, Colorado.