El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Shares Cross Above 50 Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $9.72 and traded as high as $10.60. El Pollo Loco shares last traded at $10.38, with a volume of 333,539 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOCO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Monday, March 10th. Craig Hallum assumed coverage on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of El Pollo Loco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd.

El Pollo Loco Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $9.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $311.94 million, a PE ratio of 13.14 and a beta of 1.11.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The restaurant operator reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.01). El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 5.11%. The business had revenue of $119.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $118.20 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.22 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in El Pollo Loco by 4,840.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,668 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 2,614 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $70,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in El Pollo Loco by 235.6% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 7,389 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 5,187 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $107,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the 1st quarter worth approximately $105,000. 81.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

El Pollo Loco Company Profile

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiary, El Pollo Loco, Inc, develops, franchises, licenses, and operates quick-service restaurants under the El Pollo Loco name. It operates and franchises restaurants located in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Utah, and Louisiana. It also licenses its brand to restaurants in the Philippines.

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