Core Viewpoint - Chipotle Mexican Grill's shares have increased by approximately 2.5% over the past month, underperforming the S&P 500, raising questions about the sustainability of this trend leading up to the next earnings report [1]. Group 1: Earnings Report and Estimates - Recent estimates for Chipotle have trended downward, with the consensus estimate decreasing by 8.73% over the past month [2]. - The stock has received a Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell), indicating expectations of below-average returns in the coming months [4]. Group 2: VGM Scores - Chipotle has a strong Growth Score of A, but it is significantly lagging in Momentum Score with an F, and also received an F for Value Score, placing it in the fifth quintile for this investment strategy [3]. - The overall aggregate VGM Score for Chipotle is C, which is relevant for investors not focused on a single strategy [3].

Core Viewpoint - Chipotle Mexican Grill has underperformed in 2023, with a 15% decline in stock value compared to a 1% gain in the S&P 500, facing challenges in comparable sales and operating margins [1][12] Financial Performance - Revenue increased by 6% to $2.88 billion in the first quarter, while adjusted EPS rose by 7% to $0.29 [1] - Comparable-restaurant sales fell by 0.4%, driven by a 2.3% decrease in transactions, despite a 1.9% increase in average check size [1] - Operating margins compressed by 130 basis points to 26.2%, affected by rising food and labor costs and larger portion sizes [1] - Chipotle's revenue has grown at an average rate of 14.4% over the last three years, significantly outperforming the S&P 500's 6.2% growth [4] - The company expects low single-digit comparable sales growth for the full year 2025, with traffic anticipated to improve in the second half [1] Profitability Metrics - Chipotle's operating income over the last four quarters was $2.0 billion, resulting in a moderate operating margin of 17.5% [5] - The operating cash flow (OCF) was $2.1 billion, reflecting an OCF margin of 18.6% [5] - Net income for the preceding four quarters was $1.5 billion, indicating a net income margin of 13.6% [5] Valuation Comparison - Chipotle's price-to-sales (P/S) ratio is 6.1, compared to 2.8 for the S&P 500, indicating a higher valuation [6] - The price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio stands at 44.7 versus the benchmark's 24.5, suggesting that the stock is expensive [6] Financial Stability - Chipotle's debt was $4.5 billion, with a market capitalization of $70 billion, resulting in a low debt-to-equity ratio of 6.6% [8] - Cash and cash equivalents amount to $1.4 billion, leading to a cash-to-assets ratio of 15.5% [8] Resilience During Downturns - CMG stock has shown slightly better performance than the S&P 500 during recent downturns, indicating some resilience [9] - Historical data shows significant stock declines during past crises, but recovery has been achieved in each case [10][11] Overall Assessment - Chipotle's performance metrics indicate strong growth and financial stability, but high valuation levels suggest limited upside potential in the near term [12][13]