Corient Private Wealth LLC Takes Position in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. $LOCO

Key Points

• Corient Private Wealth LLC disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in El Pollo Loco, buying 90,318 shares worth about $945,000 and representing roughly 0.30% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leaning cautious: the stock has an average Hold rating with a consensus price target of $14.88, though some firms recently raised targets and one upgraded the shares to buy.
• Insider selling continues to be a theme, with major shareholder Sardar Biglari selling 22,600 shares in late June; meanwhile, El Pollo Loco recently beat earnings expectations and authorized a $40 million share repurchase program.

Corient Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 90,318 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $945,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC owned about 0.30% of El Pollo Loco at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,774 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 89.5% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,277 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,493 shares during the last quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the third quarter worth $97,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the second quarter worth $110,000. 81.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised El Pollo Loco from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. DA Davidson increased their price target on El Pollo Loco from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Benchmark raised their price objective on El Pollo Loco from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Truist Financial raised their price objective 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. Finally, William Blair reiterated a "market perform" rating 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. According to data from MarketBeat, El Pollo Loco has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $14.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 22,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.91, for a total transaction of $382,166.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 3,777,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at $63,875,834. This trade represents a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 222,600 shares of company stock worth $3,715,166 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

LOCO stock opened at $16.68 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $507.91 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.02 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.98 and a 12-month high of $17.40. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $14.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.76.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $126.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $122.02 million. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 5.87%. On average, analysts expect that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.95 earnings per share for the current year.

El Pollo Loco announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, May 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $40.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the restaurant operator to buy up to 9.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

El Pollo Loco News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting El Pollo Loco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: El Pollo Loco is expanding its restaurant footprint, with first-time openings in Idaho and a new location in Lubbock, Texas, plus opening-day promotions that could help raise brand awareness and drive sales. El Pollo Loco Opens in Idaho for First Time
• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Capital reportedly issued bullish ratings on El Pollo Loco, adding to the view that the stock may still have upside after its recent operating improvement. Dutch Bros, First Watch, and El Pollo Loco land bull ratings from Freedom Capital
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary is questioning how to trade LOCO after first-quarter earnings, but the company had already posted a solid beat on EPS and revenue in its last report, so the market may be weighing valuation rather than fundamentals alone. El Pollo Loco (LOCO): Buy, sell, or hold post Q1 earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s recent earnings and buyback authorization remain supportive longer-term signals, including a 40 million dollar repurchase plan that may help offset share-price weakness. Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner: El Pollo Loco’s Turnaround Recipe
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold additional shares this week, following earlier large sales, which can pressure sentiment because investors often read insider selling as a sign of reduced confidence or profit-taking. Insider Selling: El Pollo Loco NASDAQ: LOCO Major Shareholder Sells 22,600 Shares

El Pollo Loco Company Profile

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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