Bank of America Corp DE Has $2.82 Million Stake in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO)

Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO - Free Report) by 55.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 244,701 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 87,287 shares during the quarter. Bank of America Corp DE owned approximately 0.82% of El Pollo Loco worth $2,824,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco during the fourth quarter worth about $70,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in El Pollo Loco by 235.6% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 7,389 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 5,187 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the fourth quarter worth $107,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,713 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $124,000 after acquiring an additional 1,954 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Olympiad Research LP bought a new position in El Pollo Loco during the fourth quarter worth $130,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.28% of the company's stock.

El Pollo Loco Stock Up 1.0%

LOCO traded up $0.11 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $10.81. 612,047 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 251,938. The stock has a market cap of $324.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.68 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.29. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $8.29 and a fifty-two week high of $14.25. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $9.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.93.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOCO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Monday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of El Pollo Loco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Craig Hallum assumed coverage on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock.

El Pollo Loco 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.