What’s the Deal With These Trending Stocks: Chipotle, Rite Aid, Alere, Tata Motors, ZIOPHARM Oncology

Morgan Stanley Downgrades Chipotle

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) have slipped by more than 2% in morning trading after Morgan Stanley downgraded the company to ‘Equal Weight’ from ‘Overweight’. Analysts at the financial services company think that a full sales recovery could take years, as customers don’t yet appear ready to go back to the Denver-based restaurant chain in force, following the company’s recent food safety concerns. Problems for Chipotle started when about 80 students got sick after eating at one of its restaurants back in December 2015. All of the students were diagnosed with E. coli and norovirus. Ken Griffin’s Citadel Investment Group was one of 39 hedge funds in our system that were bullish on Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) at the end of the first quarter.

ZIOPHARM’s Stock Battered After Death of a Patient

ZIOPHARM Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ:ZIOP)’s stock is getting punished on Friday, plummeting by more than 12% today after the company said on Thursday that a  patient in its IL-12 glioblastoma clinical trial had died from an intracranial hemorrhage, 15 days after receiving the therapy. The exact reasons for the cause of death are still being analyzed according to a press release issued by the company. The event and subsequent stock slide has also forced the Boston-based biopharmaceutical company to put off plans for a $50 million equity offering. Marc Lisker, Glenn Fuhrman and John Phelan’s MSDC Management owns more than 3.55 million shares of ZIOPHARM Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ:ZIOP) as of the end of March.

Tata Motors Regains its Position in Passenger Car Market

Tata Motors Limited (ADR) (NYSE:TTM) is 0.72% in the green this morning after the company regained the third position in the Indian passenger car segment in the first quarter of fiscal year 2017. Tata Motors’ new cars, especially its hatchback Tiago, helped the company retake the position. The Mumbai, India-based automobile giant also said on Friday that it will seek shareholders’ approval at its upcoming annual general meeting to raise INR30 billion ($447.26 million) through non-convertible debentures (NCD) this year. Out of the funds in our database, 15 held shares of Tata Motors Limited (ADR) (NYSE:TTM) at the end of the first quarter of 2016.

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