On Thursday, Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) experienced a revision of its stock outlook by Piper Sandler, with the price target being adjusted to $56 from the previous $61. The firm maintained a Neutral rating on the stock.
Following the close of the market, Chipotle reported its second-quarter results for 2024, which included a same-store sales (SSS) increase of 11.1%, surpassing both the consensus estimate of 9.2% and investor expectations that were slightly over 10%. The quarter also saw a notable transaction growth of 8.7%.
However, Chipotle's management revealed during the earnings call that SSS growth had slowed in June to approximately 6.0%, with July showing a similar trend. This deceleration is below the pre-announcement consensus SSS estimate of 7.2% for the third quarter of 2024.
Despite the stronger than expected SSS for the second quarter, the recent slowdown and comments regarding margins are anticipated to prompt downward revisions in estimates.
The company's robust transaction growth in a challenging industry environment was highlighted as particularly remarkable. Yet the deceleration in recent months suggests a change in momentum that could influence investor sentiment.
The margin commentary provided by management during the earnings call was unexpected and indicates potential impacts on profitability that may not have been fully anticipated by the investment community.
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