Chipotle Shares Dip After Brief Post-Earnings Rally
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Version 0 of 1. Article has been updated with earnings call information and updated stock info. Chipotle (CMG) shares went on a roller-coaster ride following the release of its fourth-quarter earnings results after-hours Thursday, falling, then rising during the company's earnings call, before finally selling off 1% to $419.02. The company reported earnings of 55 cents per share on revenue of $1.03 billion versus analysts' expectations of earnings of 57 cents per share on revenue of $1.04 billion. Same-store sales fell 4.8% from the year ago period. A year ago the company reported earnings of $2.17 per share, though revenue this year was up from the $997.5 million it reported last year. The company also provided earnings guidance for the current quarter of between 50 cents and 58 cents per share, well short of analysts' 96 cents per share expectations. Chipotle has had a tough time recovering from the E. Coli outbreak that infected 60 people across 14 states in late 2015, even though the CDC declared the outbreak over a year ago. Over the past 24 months Chipotle's stock has fallen nearly 38%. December same-store sales increased 14.7% over the same period a year ago, the same month the E. coli outbreak hit. Comparable-store sales in January were up 24.6% year over year. The company commented on food costs during the earnings call as rising avocado costs caused an increase in overall food costs of 140 basis points to 28.5% of revenue. |