Chipotle Mexican Grill Q4 Earnings Preview

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) will report fourth-quarter earnings after the market close on Tuesday. The Street expects revenue of $1.07 billion and EPS of $3.79.

JP Morgan analyst John Ivankoe expected Q4 EPS to come in at $3.66, below the current consensus. The firm maintained an Overweight rating and $730 price target and looked for more growth to come in 2015 through mobile ordering.

Miller Tabak & Co. analyst Stephen Anderson estimated Q4 EPS at $3.80, $0.01 above consensus but also thought that the company’s decision to stop selling pork could send some customers elsewhere. The firm rated the stock a Hold with a $710 fair value.

Wunderlich analyst Robert M. Derrington raised the firm’s price target from $660 to $760 on Monday and maintained a Hold rating. The analyst also expressed caution over “decelerating 2015 trends.”

Derrington expected Q4 EPS of $3.76, $0.03 below consensus, on revenue of $1.081 billion.

Morgan Stanley analyst John Glass expected elevated food costs as a percentage of CMG’s revenue to increase in Q4 but possibly stabilize during 2015.

Morgan Stanley has maintained an Overweight rating on the stock since September of 2013.

Heading into the earnings announcement, shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill traded at $721.77, up 1.26 percent.