Get All Access for $5/mo

Chipotle Shoots for the Stars, Hires Oscar Winner to Produce Ad The burrito chain the had biggest gains on the Entrepreneur Index™ today.

By Andrew Osterland

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Patrick T. Fallon | Getty Images

Chipotle Mexican Grill on a serious tear of late, is taking its advertising strategy to a new level. The burrito company announced the hiring of Oscar-winning documentary director Errol Morris to create an ad campaign for the company. Investors liked the idea, sending the stock up 3.59 percent -- the biggest gain on the Entrepreneur Index™ today.

Chipotle shares popped more than eleven percent last Thursday when the company reported a ten percent jump in sales and destroyed earnings estimates. They have surged by 39.7 percent so far this year.

The rest of the stock market was relatively quiet today. Prices were up briefly this morning, but the indexes gave back most of their gains and ended the day flat. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite indexes were up 0.07 percent and 0.13 percent respectively, while the Dow fell 0.21 percent. The Entrepreneur Index™ closed the day up 0.53 percent.

Related: Chipotle Is Opening Dozens of Locations With Drive-Thru-Style 'Chipotlanes'

L Brands had the third biggest gain on the index today, rising 2.69 percent. The stock is up just under six percent this year but down more than 50 percent in the last twelve months. Last week, the company reported that sales for its flagship Victoria's Secret brand were down(again) by one percent in January. L Brands will report fourth quarter earnings at the end of the month.

Conglomerate Loews Corp. had the biggest decline on the Entrepreneur Index™ today, dropping 6.15 percent. The company reported a loss in the fourth quarter driven largely by increased catastrophe losses at its majority-owned insurance subsidiary CNA Financial. The stock is now down 2.1 percent for the year.

Only three other stocks on the index declined by more than one percent today. Comcast, (-1.58 percent), and Verisign Inc. (-1.47 percent) fell furthest.

Other gains on the index included health care IT provider Cerner Corp. (2.7 percent), Fedex Corp. (2.17 pecent), and Hess Corp. (2.12 percent). Tesla was also up sharply, rising 2.17 percent after a Canaccord Genuity analyst upgraded the stock and set a price target of $450. It currently trades at $313.

The Entrepreneur Index™ collects the top 60 publicly traded companies founded and run by entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurial spirit is a valuable asset for any business, and this index recognizes its importance, no matter how much a company has grown. These inspirational businesses can be tracked in real time on Entrepreneur.com.

Andrew Osterland is a contributing writer for CNBC.com. He specializes in capital markets, personal finance and taxes.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Branding

ChatGPT is Becoming More Human-Like. Here's How The Tool is Getting Smarter at Replicating Your Voice, Brand and Personality.

AI can be instrumental in building your brand and boosting awareness, but the right approach is critical. A custom GPT delivers tailored collateral based on your ethos, personality and unique positioning factors.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

Is the AI Industry Consolidating? Hugging Face CEO Says More AI Entrepreneurs Are Looking to Be Acquired

Clément Delangue, the CEO of Hugging Face, a $4.5 billion startup, says he gets at least 10 acquisition requests a week and it's "increased quite a lot."

Business News

Apple Reportedly Isn't Paying OpenAI to Use ChatGPT in iPhones

The next big iPhone update brings ChatGPT directly to Apple devices.

Growing a Business

He Immigrated to the U.S. and Got a Job at McDonald's — Then His Aversion to Being 'Too Comfortable' Led to a Fast-Growing Company That's Hard to Miss

Voyo Popovic launched his moving and storage company in 2018 — and he's been innovating in the industry ever since.

Business News

Sony Pictures Entertainment Purchases Struggling, Cult-Favorite Movie Theater Chain

Alamo Drafthouse originally emerged from bankruptcy in June 2021.