Chipotle Earnings Not Hot Enough to Satisfy Investors

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (NYSE: CMG) released its first-quarter financial results Tuesday after the markets closed. The burrito purveyor had $3.88 in earnings per share (EPS) on $1.09 billion in revenue, compared to Thomson Reuters consensus estimates of $3.66 in EPS on $1.11 billion in revenue. The same period from the previous year had $2.64 EPS on $904.16 million in revenue.

The burrito giant gave its outlook for the 2015 full year as 190 to 205 new restaurant openings and low-to-mid single-digit comparable restaurant sales increases.

Comparable restaurant sales growth (10.4%) was driven in the first quarter by a nationwide price increase that was fully rolled out during the second quarter of last year, and increased traffic played a role in growth but to a lesser extent.

Food costs made up roughly one-third of revenue (33.9%), a decrease of 60 basis points, and benefited from the price increase. However the benefit was partially offset by an increase in beef and tortilla costs compared with the first quarter of 2014.

ALSO READ: Has Yum Brands Finally Turned Around Its Earnings?

During the first quarter the burrito restaurant chain opened 49 new locations, bringing the total count of Chipotle restaurants to 1,831.

Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle, said:

We are very proud of our start to 2015, as our average sales volumes reached a record $2.5 million per restaurant. We attribute this success to our unique food culture and people culture, which are the driving forces to create a new fast food model. The quarter was not without its challenges however, as we suspended one of our primary pork suppliers and are exploring options to increase the supply of pork that meets our high standards. But we remain confident that higher quality, Responsibly Raised® ingredients taste better and will continue to resonate with our customers.

Note that Chipotle currently trades at a multiple of 40 to expected 2015 earnings, as of Tuesday’s close. This could be one reason why the stock is responding poorly. Also, investors are expecting Chipotle to continue to demolish quarters like it has in the past.

Looking at the stock year-to-date, Chipotle is only marginally up (less than 1%), but within the past full year the stock is up 32%.

Shares of Chipotle closed Tuesday up 0.8% at $692.52. Following the release of the earnings report, shares were down 4.6% at $660.40 in after-hours trading. The stock has a consensus analyst price target of $745.88 and a 52-week trading range of $472.41 to $727.97.

ALSO READ: How Much Do Companies Really Have to Worry About Bird Flu?