Analyst Update: Chipotle, Electronic Arts, Barnes & Noble

Analysts are weighing in today on restaurant interest Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG), video game maker Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA), and bookseller Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS). Here's a quick roundup of today's brokerage notes on CMG, EA, and BKS.

• CMG is 1.7% lower, last seen trading at $555.00, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the E. coli outbreak linked to the restaurant has spread to three more states, with seven new reports of illness -- prompting Deutsche Bank to cut its price target to $525 from $710. “We believe it is fair to assume weakened brand sentiment may persist over several quarters and therefore believe consensus estimates do not fully reflect the potential negative impact of these events,” wrote the brokerage firm. While the company has stated that these new cases are only newly reported, with exposures occurring no later than early November, the development has also encouraged Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. to tighten its food safety standards. The stock has been trending lower since the first report of illness was revealed last month, but more than half the analysts covering CMG maintain "buy" or better endorsments.

• EA was last seen trading at $70.24, a 4.5% increase over yesterday's close, after Atlantic Securities raised its rating in the stock to "overweight" from "neutral." Electronic Arts Inc. has added nearly 50% on the charts so far this year, and 13 out of 17 analysts providing coverage on the stock give it a "strong buy" rating, without a single "sell" in sight. Options traders remain more hesitant, though. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), EA has a 10-day put/call volume ratio of 0.79 -- higher than 70% of readings from the past year. A mass exodus of option bears could add fuel to EA's fire.

• BKS slid 18.4% to $9.82, just off a new 18-month low of $9.35, after the company reported disappointing quarterly earnings, and said full-year sales numbers are expected to be flat from last year. So far in 2015, the stock has dropped by more than 36%. While three out of four analysts maintain a "strong buy" rating on BKS, options traders are distinctly bearish. The stock's 10-day put/call volume ratio on the ISE, CBOE, and PHLX of 3.83 is just 2 percentage points shy of an annual high.