El Pollo Loco (LOCO) Projected to Post Earnings on Thursday

Key Points

• El Pollo Loco will report Q1 2026 results after the market closes on Thursday, May 7 at 4:30 PM ET, with analysts expecting $0.22 EPS and $122.02 million in revenue.
• In the prior quarter (reported March 12) the company beat estimates with $0.25 EPS on $123.52 million of revenue, and analysts forecast about $1.00 EPS for both the current and next fiscal year.
• Shares trade around $13.59 (52‑week range $8.29–$14.50) with a market cap of about $407.1M; Wall Street’s consensus rating is a Hold with a $13.38 target, while some brokers have recently raised targets or issued Buy ratings and institutional ownership is 81.28%.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) is expected to be releasing its Q1 2026 results after the market closes on Thursday, May 7th. Analysts expect El Pollo Loco to post earnings of $0.22 per share and revenue of $122.0180 million for the quarter. Interested persons are encouraged to explore the company's upcoming Q1 2026 earning overview page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 4:30 PM ET.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.04. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.40% and a return on equity of 10.39%. The company had revenue of $123.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $122.18 million. On average, analysts expect El Pollo Loco to post $1 EPS for the current fiscal year and $1 EPS for the next fiscal year.

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LOCO opened at $13.59 on Thursday. El Pollo Loco has a 52-week low of $8.29 and a 52-week high of $14.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $12.96 and a 200 day moving average of $11.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $407.10 million, a PE ratio of 15.10 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.32.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LOCO. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. Benchmark increased their target price on shares of El Pollo Loco from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. William Blair reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $11.00 target price on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Friday, March 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, El Pollo Loco currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $13.38.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,400,032 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $13,580,000 after purchasing an additional 16,867 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 93.9% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,037,293 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $10,850,000 after purchasing an additional 502,378 shares during the last quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 193.4% during the 4th quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC now owns 745,140 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $7,794,000 after purchasing an additional 491,184 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 197.4% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 680,391 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $7,008,000 after purchasing an additional 451,575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 653,977 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $6,842,000 after acquiring an additional 26,027 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.28% of the company's stock.

About El Pollo Loco

El Pollo Loco NASDAQ: LOCO is a fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in Mexican-style fire-grilled chicken and complementary menu offerings. The company's signature product is its marinated, flame-grilled chicken, which is prepared in an open-flame rotisserie and served in a variety of formats including tacos, burritos, bowls and salads. In addition to its core chicken offerings, El Pollo Loco menu items feature fresh-made salsas, guacamole, sides such as charro beans and fresh tortillas, as well as a selection of beverages and desserts.

Founded in 1975 in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, by Juan Francisco Ochoa, the concept expanded into the United States in 1980 with its first U.S.

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