Chipotle Mexican Grill

CMG

Restaurants · Consumer Cyclical

Also trades as: 0HXW.L

Price

$36.90

+1.61 (+4.56%)

Market Cap

$47.33B

Winston Score

Winston is curious

A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.

Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026

How the score breaks down

Quality

Strong

Growth

Mixed

Cash Flow

Exceptional

Stability

Good

Valuation

Good

Track this stock — start free trial

Share count falling — buybacks

−5.8% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 1.43B (2021) → 1.34B (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Chipotle Mexican Grill is a fast-casual restaurant chain that serves Mexican-style food like burritos, bowls, tacos, and quesadillas. Customers build their own meals from a short menu of fresh ingredients, and the chain targets everyday diners looking for a quick but higher-quality alternative to traditional fast food. Chipotle operates over 3,500 locations, mostly in the United States, making it one of the largest fast-casual chains in the country.

The company makes money primarily by selling food directly to customers in its restaurants, with a growing portion of sales coming through its digital ordering app and delivery partnerships. Chipotle's competitive edge comes from its simple menu, strong brand loyalty, and a well-known commitment to avoiding artificial ingredients. The main growth driver is continued new restaurant openings, particularly its smaller-format "Chipotlane" drive-thru locations, while its biggest risk is food cost inflation and any food safety incident, which has damaged the brand in the past.

Politician Trades

35 trades / 12mo

18 Congressional buys and 17 sells on CMG in the last 12 months.

Unlock the full Smart Money Map — every trade plotted on the price chart with politicians, amounts and returns since each trade. Founder's Deal is $57/mo locked for life.

Unlock politician trades

Growth Profile

For growth stock investors

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+9.3% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

EPS Growth

+0.0% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow EPS growth

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (4%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

0.8%ownership

→ Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$325M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth context

Chipotle Mexican Grill is growing revenue at 9% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Each metric is explained in plain language so you know exactly what you're looking at. Start your free trial now.

Quality

Profit per sale

Gross Margin

69.8%

Premium pricing power — 69.8% gross margin

Profit after running costs

Operating Margin

15.7%

Healthy — 15.7% operating margin

Return on the money invested

ROCE

24.5%

Exceptional — 24.5% return on capital

ROIC between 15% and 25%. Every dollar invested in the business earns 15 to 25 cents back per year.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Growth

Sales growth

Sales YoY

+7.3%

Steady sales growth (+7.3% YoY)

Profit growth

EPS YoY

-3.5%

Earnings shrinking (-3.5% YoY)

Slight earnings drop. Typical near a cyclical low.

How steady the profit is

EPS Consistency

5/8 quarters

Mixed — about half the quarters showed growth

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash

Cash Conversion

164%

Turns 164% of profit into real cash

Spare cash per sale

FCF Margin

12.6%

Converts sales into free cash efficiently (12.6%)

FCF margin between 10% and 20%. Every $100 in sales becomes $10 to $20 in real cash.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Stability

What it owes vs what it owns

Debt / Equity

2.46

Heavy debt load (2.46)

Covers its interest

Interest Cover

100.00x

—

Comfortably covers interest (100.0x)

Interest coverage above 8. Profits cover interest many times over.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Valuation

Price vs profit

P/E Ratio (TTM)

33.9x

Pricey — P/E 33.9

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year

P/E vs Forward

+13.1

GROWING

Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (33.9 → 20.7)

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Dividends

Not applicable for this business.

🔒 See full fundamentals and if they are improving or declining — click here for your free trial now.

Start free trial