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Evercore ISI and Goldman Bullish on Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG)

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) is one of the 13 Best Fast Food Stocks to Buy. On December 19, Evercore ISI reiterated its Outperform rating on Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) with a $45 price target. Evercore ISI noted a modest improvement in quarter-to-date sales trends in recent weeks and increased its Q4 2025 same-store sales forecast from -4% to -3%.

The research firm also raised its Q4 2025 EPS forecast from $0.23 to $0.24. This improvement is attributed mainly to Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.’s (NYSE:CMG) Buy One Get One promotions. For fiscal year 2026, Evercore ISI lifted its EPS estimate from $1.17 to $1.19, which represents a 3% year-over-year increase. This update comes after the company announced a new protein menu, which is seen as the first step in a more aggressive marketing calendar.

On December 18, Goldman Sachs also reaffirmed its Buy rating on Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) with a price target of $45 after the company announced a new High Protein Menu launching December 23 in the US and Canada. Goldman Sachs pointed out that this move strategically utilizes Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.’s (NYSE:CMG) strengths in customizable, clean-label ingredients and responsibly sourced proteins to position the brand better in the growing high-protein and better-for-you segment of the food sector.

Additionally, Goldman Sachs noted that the new menu seems designed to tap into two large consumer trends: the growing adoption of GLP-1 medications and a growing focus on macronutrients, especially protein, with certain bowls and salads described as “GLP-1 friendly.”

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) is an American restaurant company that operates a multinational chain of fast-casual restaurants specializing in Mexican food, including burritos, quesadillas, tacos, salads, and bowls.

While we acknowledge the potential of CMG as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than CMG and that has a 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 14 Best Large Cap Stocks to Invest In Now and 14 Most Promising Fintech Stocks to Invest In.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.

The $250 Trillion AI Hype is Real. A few years from now, you’ll probably wish you’d bought this stock.

Dr. Inan Dogan

Dr. Ian Dogan

Co-Founder and Research Director at Insider Monkey

When Jeff Bezos said that one breakthrough technology would shape Amazon’s destiny, even Wall Street’s biggest analysts were caught off guard.

Fast forward a year and Amazon’s new CEO Andy Jassy described generative AI as a “once-in-a-lifetime” technology that is already being used across Amazon to reinvent customer experiences.

At the 8th Future Investment Initiative conference, Elon Musk predicted that by 2040 there would be at least 10 billion humanoid robots, with each priced between $20,000 and $25,000.

Do the math. According to Musk, this technology could be worth $250 trillion by 2040.

Put another way, that’s roughly equal to:

  • 175 Teslas
  • 107 Amazons
  • 140 Metas
  • 84 Googles
  • 65 Microsofts
  • And 55 Nvidias

And here’s the wild part — this $250 trillion wave isn’t tied to one company, but to an entire ecosystem of AI innovators set to reshape the global economy.

It’s a leap so massive, it could reshape how businesses, governments, and consumers operate worldwide.

Even if that $250 trillion figure sounds ambitious, major firms like PwC and McKinsey still see AI unlocking multi-trillion-dollar potential.

How could anything be worth that much?

The answer lies in a breakthrough so powerful it’s redefining how humanity works, learns, and creates.

And this breakthrough has already set off a frenzy among hedge funds and Wall Street’s top investors.

What most investors don’t realize is that one under-owned company holds the key to this $250 trillion revolution.

In fact, Verge argues this company’s supercheap AI technology should concern rivals.

Before I reveal the details, let’s talk about how some of the richest people on the planet are positioning themselves.

  • Bill Gates sees artificial intelligence as the “biggest technological advance in my lifetime,” more transformative than the internet or personal computer, capable of improving healthcare, education, and addressing climate change.
  • Larry Ellison — through Oracle, is spending billions on Nvidia chips and partnering with Cohere to embed generative AI across Oracle’s cloud and apps.
  • Warren Buffett — not known for tech hype — says this breakthrough could have a ‘hugely beneficial social impact.

When billionaires from Silicon Valley to Wall Street line up behind the same idea — you know it’s worth paying attention to.

Even as we admire what Tesla, Nvidia, Alphabet, and Microsoft have built, we believe an even greater opportunity lies elsewhere…

But the real story isn’t Nvidia — it’s a much smaller company quietly improving the critical technology that makes this entire revolution possible.

And judging by what I’m hearing from both Silicon Valley insiders and Wall Street veterans…

This prediction might not be bold at all:

A few years from now, you’ll wish you’d owned this stock.

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Wall Street calls this $3 stock a “Melting Ice Cube.” They said the same thing about BTI before it returned 90%.

Dr. Inan Dogan

Dr. Ian Dogan

Co-Founder and Research Director at Insider Monkey

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We alerted our subscribers, and BTI returned 90% in just 16 months.

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Today, we have identified a nearly identical pattern in a digital-first giant trading at $3.

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