Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc (NYSE:CMG) stock is trading approximately flat Monday morning after the company unveiled an expansion of its share repurchase program. Here’s what investors need to know.
What To Know: In an SEC filing released Monday, Chipotle announced that its board of directors authorized an additional $1.8 billion for buybacks late last week. The new authorization brings the total funds available for repurchases to approximately $1.85 billion.
The move marks a strategic pivot for the burrito giant. While the board previously approved repurchase pools on a quarterly basis, it now intends to authorize larger sums designed to cover multiple quarters.
This decision also reflects continued confidence in the company’s intrinsic value despite a turbulent 2025. Chipotle has already repurchased roughly $2.3 billion of its shares year-to-date.
Investors are watching closely as the stock attempts to recover from recent 52-week lows, having fallen approximately 43% this year. Sentiment has been weighed down by a third-quarter revenue miss and a 0.8% decline in foot traffic, which CEO Scott Boatwright attributed to inflation squeezing low-income consumers.
However, the recent appointment of Carnival Corp CEO Josh Weinstein to the board and growing optimism around potential interest rate cuts have helped stabilize the narrative, potentially easing the burden on Chipotle’s core demographic.
Benzinga Edge Rankings: Benzinga Edge rankings underscore the company’s underlying potential with a strong Growth score of 73.60, contrasting with a weak Momentum rating of 8.24.
CMG Price Action: Chipotle Mexican Grill shares were down 0.49% at $33.77 at the time of publication on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Currently, Chipotle is trading approximately 7% below its 50-day moving average and about 25.8% below its 200-day moving average. These figures indicate a bearish trend, suggesting that the stock has struggled to gain upward momentum in the longer term.
The 52-week range of $29.75 to $66.73 further highlights the stock’s volatility, with the current price sitting closer to the lower end of this range.
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