A Chipotle retailer stands within the Bronx in New York Metropolis on April 23, 2025.
Spencer Platt | Getty Pictures
Chipotle Mexican Grill on Tuesday reported quarterly earnings and income that topped analysts’ expectations, though site visitors to its eating places fell for the fourth straight quarter.
For 2026, the corporate is projecting flat same-store gross sales progress, signaling that the burrito chain’s woes will not be anticipated to vanish rapidly. Chipotle ended a bumpy 2025 with a full-year same-store gross sales decline of 1.7%.
Shares of the corporate fell as a lot as 11% in prolonged buying and selling.
This is what the corporate reported in contrast with what Wall Road was anticipating, based mostly on a survey of analysts by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: 25 cents adjusted vs. 24 cents anticipated
- Income: $2.98 billion vs. $2.96 billion anticipated
The fast-casual chain reported fourth-quarter internet earnings of $330.9 million, or 25 cents per share, down from $331.8 million, or 24 cents per share, a yr earlier.
Excluding impairment prices, positive aspects from terminating restaurant leases and different gadgets, Chipotle earned 25 cents per share.
Web gross sales rose 4.9% to $2.98 billion.
The corporate’s same-store gross sales fell 2.5% for the quarter, making this reporting interval the third quarter of the yr with same-store gross sales declines. Nevertheless, Wall Road was anticipating a steeper same-store gross sales lower of three%, in keeping with StreetAccount estimates.
Site visitors to Chipotle eating places fell by 3.2%. Executives have beforehand stated they’ve seen a pullback in spending from customers of all earnings cohorts, though low-income diners have made probably the most vital shift to their habits.
Over the previous yr, shares of Chipotle have misplaced roughly a 3rd of their worth, dragging the corporate’s market worth right down to about $51 billion. Investor enthusiasm for the inventory waned after the fast-casual chain started reporting shrinking site visitors to its eating places.
To convey again prospects, Chipotle is specializing in enhancing the chain’s operations and including new menu gadgets, moderately than leaning into reductions. In December, on the tail finish of the quarter, the corporate unveiled “protein cups,” with the purpose of convincing protein-obsessed prospects to cease by for a snack, not simply lunch or dinner.
Chipotle opened 132 company-owned areas and 7 eating places run by worldwide licensees in the course of the quarter. That introduced its whole to 334 company-owned areas and 11 worldwide accomplice eating places opened for the yr.
In 2026, the corporate is projecting that it’s going to open 350 to 370 new eating places, together with 10 to fifteen worldwide areas that shall be run by licensees.
