Smart Money Is Betting Big In CMG Options

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bullish stance on Chipotle Mexican Grill CMG.

And retail traders should know.

We noticed this today when the trades showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.

Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don't know. But when something this big happens with CMG, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

So how do we know what these investors just did?

Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 12 uncommon options trades for Chipotle Mexican Grill.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 75% bullish and 16%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 9 are puts, for a total amount of $681,976, and 3 are calls, for a total amount of $291,380.

What's The Price Target?

Analyzing the Volume and Open Interest in these contracts, it seems that the big players have been eyeing a price window from $40.2 to $70.0 for Chipotle Mexican Grill during the past quarter.

Insights into Volume & Open Interest

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Chipotle Mexican Grill stands at 3932.25, with a total volume reaching 3,235.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Chipotle Mexican Grill, situated within the strike price corridor from $40.2 to $70.0, throughout the last 30 days.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days

Noteworthy Options Activity:

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill is the largest fast-casual chain restaurant in the United States, with systemwide sales of $11.3 billion in 2024. The Mexican concept is almost exclusively company-owned, with just three license stores operated through a master franchise relationship with Alshaya Group in the Middle East. It had a footprint of 3,726 stores at the end of 2024, heavily indexed to the United States, although it maintains a small presence in Canada, the UK, France, and Germany. Chipotle sells burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, quesadillas, and beverages, with a selling proposition built around competitive prices, high-quality food sourcing, speed of service, and convenience. The company generates its revenue entirely from restaurant sales and delivery fees.

After a thorough review of the options trading surrounding Chipotle Mexican Grill, we move to examine the company in more detail. This includes an assessment of its current market status and performance.

Chipotle Mexican Grill's Current Market Status

• Currently trading with a volume of 2,821,987, the CMG's price is up by 1.64%, now at $49.53.
• RSI readings suggest the stock is currently is currently neutral between overbought and oversold.
• Anticipated earnings release is in 40 days.

Expert Opinions on Chipotle Mexican Grill

In the last month, 2 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $67.5.

Unusual Options Activity Detected: Smart Money on the Move

Benzinga Edge's Unusual Options board spots potential market movers before they happen. See what positions big money is taking on your favorite stocks. Click here for access. * Showing optimism, an analyst from Loop Capital upgrades its rating to Buy with a revised price target of $65. * In a positive move, an analyst from Morgan Stanley has upgraded their rating to Overweight and adjusted the price target to $70.

Options are a riskier asset compared to just trading the stock, but they have higher profit potential. Serious options traders manage this risk by educating themselves daily, scaling in and out of trades, following more than one indicator, and following the markets closely.

If you want to stay updated on the latest options trades for Chipotle Mexican Grill, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.