Qualtix Stock Brief
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG) stock analysis: business quality, valuation, and entry timing
Chipotle operates company-owned fast-casual restaurants without franchising, and grows mainly through new locations. Strong restaurant-level margins and no long-term debt support its quality, often alongside a high valuation. Public Qualtix model snapshot from 2026-10-26 for CMG: business quality 51/100, a mixed model reading and valuation Cheap. Today's verdict and Entry Timing are shown after a free sign-in.
Qualtix evaluates CMG with a rules-based model that separates business quality, valuation, entry timing, red flags, and data confidence. The model scores first; AI explanations and the full Clean Brief help explain the result afterward.
Coverage note: Qualtix can analyze supported US stocks when SEC/FMP filing data is available. The 1,000+ stock universe refers to the daily screener used for discovery, not the full analysis limit.
CMG public evidence metrics from the latest validated Qualtix snapshot
| Metric | Value | Why it matters | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 10.2% | 3-year revenue CAGR | FMP, computed |
| FCF margin | 12.6% | Free cash flow divided by revenue | FMP, computed |
| Operating margin | 15.2% | Profitability margin | FMP, computed |
| Gross margin | 24.1% | Revenue retained after direct costs | FMP, computed |
| Return on capital (pre-tax) | 24.8% | Operating profit before tax, divided by equity plus debt | FMP, computed |
| ROE | 64.5% | Return on equity | FMP, computed |
| Cash and debt | Cash and investments $672.1M / Debt $5.4B | Balance-sheet context | FMP, reported |
| TTM P/E | 25.8x | Price to trailing earnings | FMP, computed |
Qualtix view
- Business quality: 51/100, a mixed model reading.
- Valuation is currently labeled Cheap, so price is a supporting part of the model view.
Today's verdict
- Today's model verdict and Entry Timing for CMG update every market day and are shown after a free sign-in.
Data and snapshot dates
- Model snapshot date: 2026-10-26.
- Financial data through: 2026-06-30.
- Scored by the current Qualtix model.
- Data-confidence status: high.
What supports the current view
- Valuation is labeled Cheap by the current model view.
- Beta of 0.96 suggests lower market sensitivity than higher-beta alternatives.
What weakens the current view
- Business quality remains below the model's stronger-company threshold (51/100).
What changed
- Business Quality was unchanged from the previous snapshot.
What to research next
- Start with the weaker Business Quality signal (51/100): review revenue durability, margins, cash generation, and balance-sheet pressure.
- Check whether the Cheap valuation label reflects a real mismatch or a business concern that deserves more research.
- Compare CMG with MCD and SBUX to see whether the model edge is company-specific or sector-wide.
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Qualtix is for research and education only. It is not financial advice.