Chipotle Jumps to Record, Leaving Behind 2015's Food-Safety Scare

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. touched a record high on Monday, showing it’s recovering from a string of food-borne illness outbreaks that began in 2015.

Chipotle’s shares (CMG) rose as much as 1.1% to $759 in New York. The stock had previously hit an intraday high of $758.61 in August 2015. The customer-illness issues started not long after and the shares closed that year at $479.85, beginning the first of three straight annual declines.

Under Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol, formerly of Taco Bell, the burrito chain has made a series of overhauls. It’s relocated company headquarters, pushed hard into delivery and rolled out a new loyalty program to attract customers.

So far results have been positive with the key indicator of same-store sales rising 9.9% in the latest quarter -- the fifth consecutive period of acceleration.