Why is Chipotle Stock So Overpriced?

Agustus 02, 2017
Why practise people only aspect at percentage cost when investing in addition to non fundamentals?

The press has been gleefully reporting to a greater extent than setbacks for Chipotle Mexican Grill.  The latest is a viral video showing mice dropping from the ceiling of i location.   Earlier this calendar month , at to the lowest degree i or 2 people were sickened yesteryear the Norovirus , commonly something you lot run into on cruise ships.

Coming inwards the wake of the major E. coli outbreak they had a span of years dorsum , you lot wonder why anybody would desire to consume there.  I shout out back when a Chipotle starting fourth dimension opened inwards Old Town Alexandria.  I believe at that fourth dimension they were owned at to the lowest degree inwards purpose yesteryear McDonald's.  We went in i trial , in addition to never went back.  It truly isn't Mexican nutrient inwards my thought , but rather burritos the size of your head.  This is what Americans think Mexican nutrient is like.

You larn this burrito matter which is almost the size of a football game in addition to it's on a plate in addition to you lot conduct hold to cutting it apart amongst a knife in addition to fork.  You can't pick it upwards in addition to consume it similar a existent burrito.  When you lot attempt to consume it amongst a knife in addition to fork , all the stuffing comes out , in addition to you're basically simply shoveling this goop inwards your human face upwards - in addition to it's non really appealing or tasty.  It's non fifty-fifty eating.  It's simply fueling your torso amongst stuff. But Americans similar that sort of crap , I justice , in addition to they've never truly been to United Mexican United States of America so they don't know what nutrient is similar there.

But for some argue Chipolte stock has been truly pop , peculiarly amongst amateur investors.  I'm guessing hither , but I believe that the sort of people who sit down on the calculator all 24-hour interval in addition to merchandise stock tips are the same sort of people who consume at Chipotle Grill.  You know , severely overweight information technology types we're going to "make it large inwards the stock market" yesteryear stock picking , but for some argue , that never quite plant out.

That must hold upwards the explanation , because I can't figure out for the life of me why Chipotle Mexican Grill stock has a P/E ratio of over 100.  And aye this is fifty-fifty afterwards the stock took a nosedive afterwards the mouse in addition to norovirus incidents.  This is also years afterwards the E.coli nightmare was cleaned up.

In instance you lot were wondering , a P/E ratio of 100 is staggeringly high for a eating seat chain.  It agency you lot conduct hold to hold back over a hundred years to build your coin dorsum on Chipotle stock.  Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 pretty measure dominion of pollex is a P/E ratio should hold upwards to a greater extent than or less $20 for most traditional Industries , this represents close a 5% charge per unit of measurement of render on your investment.

The few exceptions mightiness hold upwards inwards industries which are expected to grow exponentially really rapidly , inwards which instance the marketplace is buying ahead of itself , proceeding that the companionship interrogation has potential for huge growth.  Maybe some "dot com" companionship tin reach notice larn away amongst a P/E ratio of 100 or to a greater extent than , if it looks similar they volition expand yesteryear a element of 10 inwards a few years.   A eating seat chain?  Be serious.

Given the crowded nature of the fast nutrient in addition to fast-casual dining , there's a lot of contest inwards this marketplace.  There are many other restaurants similar Chipotle , including local chains in addition to Mom-and-Pop shops.   We conduct hold a local chain hither that is a clone of Chipotle , correct downwardly to the head-sized burritos.  The barriers to entry are depression , in addition to at that spot is no protectable IP.  Anyone tin reach notice build a burrito , at that spot is no Patent on it.

In monastic tell for Chipotle stock cost to build whatever feel , would conduct hold to increase inwards size yesteryear a element of 5 , in addition to that doesn't seem probable fifty-fifty if nosotros didn't conduct hold the ecoli norovirus inwards mice incidents.

Failing spectacular growth , they would conduct hold to increase the profitability yesteryear a element of five.  Or peradventure they could slash prices to the os , pay their employees inwards burritos , in addition to enhance prices through the roof , to accomplish a P/E ratio at to the lowest degree less than 50.  But it doesn't seem similar the profitability of the companionship is going to increase anytime before long - sure enough non yesteryear a element of five.

Compare Chipotle's stock cost that at Mcdonald's. Or to a greater extent than exactly their P/E ratios. McDonald's has a P/E ratio that is somewhat high at 28 , pregnant you lot conduct hold to hold back 28 years to build your coin back. It also agency that it's earning close 4% every twelvemonth , which is pretty respectable , peculiarly compared to Chipotle.

Then consider dividends , or the instance of Chipotle the speak lack of them.   They think their stock cost is such a slap-up bargain yesteryear itself , there is no necessitate to pay dorsum shareholders:
Dividend Policy
We are non required to pay whatever dividends in addition to conduct hold non declared or paid whatever cash dividends on our mutual stock. We intend to maintain to retain earnings for work inwards the functioning in addition to expansion of our trouble organization in addition to thus practise non anticipate paying whatever cash dividends on our mutual stock inwards the foreseeable future.
That's correct , Chipotle pay no dividends whatsoever , whereas McDonald's currently cranks out close 2.44% inwards dividends in addition to has a long rich dividend-paying history.  This agency McDonald's is paying out to a greater extent than than one-half its earnings in addition to dividends , which agency the shareholders are beingness rewarded for the profitability of the company.

Chipotle is acting similar it is some sort of dot-com tech companionship , instead of i of the most traditional of industries to a greater extent than or less - the eating seat business.   Restaurants are businesses of sparse margins , regular profits , in addition to predictable performance.   Chipotle is acting similar it is Uber in addition to that growth alone volition sustain it , in addition to the necessitate to build profits or pay dividends is secondary.  That strategy may hold upwards backfiring.

And you lot conduct hold to inquire yourself , why would they practise this , in addition to why practise articles appear hyping the stock price?   Well , i explanation mightiness hold upwards that some of the key employees mightiness hold upwards paid inwards stock options , in addition to thus conduct hold a motivation to maintain the stock cost sky-high.

So inquire yourself this , if you lot are a Chipotle shareholder.  Where are you lot going amongst this?  What practise you lot think is going to hold upwards the payoff for Chipotle?  Are they so even out amongst cash that the companionship is worth what the stock says it is?  Or is somebody else going to purchase out the companionship in addition to pay this outrageous cost for it , fifty-fifty though it's non really profitable?  Or practise you lot truly think it's going to increase inwards profitability by a element of five sometime inwards your lifetime?

Why would soul think this stock is worth over 100 times its earnings?  Oh , correct , the fiscal press.  Online websites abound which offering stock "analysis" that amounts to piffling to a greater extent than than speculation.  Take for instance , this "article" on "investorplace"
When I concluding discussed Chipotle , the technical expectation was bullish. The anticipation was that a smaller , first-stage weekly base would continue to agree support in addition to resolve itself amongst a build clean breakout higher upwards $500.

That was on May 8. As is apparent on the provided daily nautical chart , CMG stock failed to comply.

Over the yesteryear few sessions , atmospheric condition conduct hold locomote increasingly grave for shorter-term traders every bit shares  broke below a fairly decent-looking hammer candlestick. [wtf?] More of import inwards our view is the $425-$430 surface area — a critical back upwards area for the current uptrend , in addition to one that remains intact.
The highlighted words audio so technical in addition to smart , yet they hateful absolutely nothing.  The article is accompanied yesteryear a nautical chart of the stock price , amongst lots of lines drawn on it.  No shout out is made of profits , dividends , P/E ratios , or whatever other metrics.  Just stock price.   Read the entire article - it is gibberish.   What the writer is proverb is that the cost should locomote upwards , just because of momentumOh , in addition to because of a 2-for-1 burrito offer.

Note also , that this swain seems to hold upwards suggesting leveraging yourself to build a "play" inwards the stock - using derivatives (going long in addition to short).   This is really risky investing for the amateur.

People read gibberish online "stock reports" in addition to bid upwards the prices of stocks into the stratosphere.    And inwards this instance , that is exactly what happened to Chipolte stock.  In the concluding few years , the cost has been bid upwards from $75 a percentage to $750 a percentage , for no apparent argue whatsoever.   And every bit the cost has spiked so has the P/E ratio , shape a to a greater extent than small-scale 29 to an outrageous 500 , earlier settling downwardly to the 103 nosotros conduct hold today.   This looks similar a classic instance of a bubble , every bit it is every bit good drawn out to hold upwards a pump-and-dump.

Granted , profits inwards the yesteryear were pretty good , but dorsum in addition to so , the P/E ratio was at to the lowest degree rational.    The human relationship betwixt share price in addition to profits seems disconnected.   And this tells me that people investing inwards this stock are not looking at anything but percentage price.

And sadly , this is how I invested when I started out , listening to idiotic advice similar this , in addition to trying to divine something close a companionship based on its stock cost chart.   You conduct hold to aspect at the fundamentals.   You can't divine what a companionship is worth based on its cost history.  Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 house that makes burritos is non a gilded mine.

Or peradventure you lot simply bought the stock because you lot similar the burritos , never truly idea much close price-to-earnings ratios , dividend yields , or where the companionship mightiness hold upwards headed.  And good it mightiness seem there's a Chipotle on every corner close the tech sector of every large urban amount , at that spot truly aren't every bit pop across the province every bit other fast nutrient in addition to fast-casual chains.

One of the biggest mistakes I made early inwards investing was to purchase stocks in addition to companies because I liked their products.  And this is really typical , I think of a lot of immature people.  We purchase stocks inwards things which were familiar amongst because it gives us a degree of comfort.  But nosotros don't think close the basic fiscal soundness of the companionship involved.  Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 companionship could build a slap-up production in addition to withal hold upwards headed for bankruptcy , or at the really to the lowest degree , hold upwards overpriced.

It doesn't accept but a few people to bid the stock cost of whatever companionship through the roof.  This doesn't hateful the bulk of the marketplace thinks the companionship is worth that , only that a few people are willing to pay that much , and  a few to a greater extent than are unwilling to sell.

And it starting fourth dimension , a fast nutrient companionship mightiness seem similar a pretty security bet , is they are making products in addition to selling it in addition to us are making profits in addition to conduct hold really depression conduct a opportunity of going bankrupt.  But every bit Chipotle is demonstrated three times now , unforeseen incidents tin reach notice displace huge disruptions inwards their business.  The e.coli matter took at to the lowest degree a span of years to pop off downwardly - in addition to profits truly never recovered from that.  I think these latest incidents , detail the mouse i , volition in all probability accept at to the lowest degree vi months to a twelvemonth for sales to recover to fifty-fifty shipping service e.coli levels.

And of course of study , it could simply hold upwards that football-sized burritos are no longer a "thing" - the landscape is littered amongst the skeletons of fast-food chains that peaked in addition to died , every bit people lost interest.  I immature lady Little Tavern.

But fifty-fifty assuming they could overcome these latest setbacks , the stock is withal wildly overpriced.  It's P/E ratio is inwards tech territory , but it doesn't conduct hold the potential logarithmic expansion that some tech companies have.   Burritos are non tech. 

It simply makes no freaking feel whatsoever.  And when things doesn't build whatever feel , i of 2 things is going on.  Either I'm every bit good dumb to figure out what's going on , or peradventure I'm smart plenty to run into that what's going on is idiotic.

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