El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $17.40 and last traded at $17.20, with a volume of 441129 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $16.96.
El Pollo Loco News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting El Pollo Loco this week:
- Positive Sentiment: El Pollo Loco said it has entered its 10th state, marking a development milestone that underscores its nationwide expansion plan and could support future unit growth and sales. El Pollo Loco Marks Development Milestone as it Enters 10th State
- Positive Sentiment: Freedom Capital reportedly issued bullish ratings on El Pollo Loco alongside other restaurant names, adding to the case that analysts see upside in the stock after recent earnings strength and operational improvement. Dutch Bros, First Watch, and El Pollo Loco land bull ratings from Freedom Capital
- Positive Sentiment: Coverage discussing whether LOCO is a buy after Q1 earnings suggests investors are still digesting a stronger-than-expected quarter, which included EPS and revenue beats. El Pollo Loco (LOCO): Buy, sell, or hold post Q1 earnings?
- Positive Sentiment: New store openings, including the first El Pollo Loco location in Idaho and a planned opening in Lubbock, support the company’s growth narrative and could lift long-term sales expectations. In nationwide push, El Pollo Loco makes its debut in Idaho Lubbock 1st El Pollo Loco location set to open
- Neutral Sentiment: The stock is also being weighed by a recent insider sale from major shareholder Sardar Biglari, who sold 22,600 shares after earlier larger sales, which can pressure sentiment even though he still retains a large stake. Insider Selling: El Pollo Loco NASDAQ: LOCO Major Shareholder Sells 22,600 Shares
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
LOCO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of El Pollo Loco from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised El Pollo Loco from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Truist Financial boosted their target price on El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. William Blair reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Benchmark raised their price target on El Pollo Loco from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $14.88.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on El Pollo Loco
El Pollo Loco Stock Up 1.4%
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $14.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.73. The firm has a market cap of $523.74 million, a P/E ratio of 17.55 and a beta of 0.78.
El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.06. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 11.04%. The business had revenue of $126.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $122.02 million. Research analysts anticipate that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.
El Pollo Loco declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, May 28th that allows the company to repurchase $40.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the restaurant operator to buy up to 9.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other El Pollo Loco news, major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 100,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.58, for a total transaction of $1,658,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 3,800,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $63,004,000. The trade was a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders sold a total of 222,600 shares of company stock valued at $3,715,166 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On El Pollo Loco
Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 85.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,862 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,774 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 89.5% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,277 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 2,493 shares during the period. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the first quarter worth $88,000. Finally, Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC bought a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the third quarter worth $97,000. 81.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
El Pollo Loco Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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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