El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Stock: Insider Sardar Biglari Sells 5,984 Shares

Key Points

• Major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 5,984 El Pollo Loco shares at $16.50 each, worth about $98,736; he still directly owns approximately 3.49 million shares. The sale followed two other reported sales in October and November.
• LOCO shares fell 9.6% to $14.88 on Friday, with trading volume well above its average.
• Q3 earnings per share of $0.24 matched analyst expectations, while revenue of $126.31 million came in slightly below estimates of $127.03 million.

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 5,984 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total value of $98,736.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 3,494,252 shares of the company's stock, valued at $57,655,158. This represents a 0.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company's stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Sardar Biglari also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, November 4th, Sardar Biglari sold 13,169 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total value of $217,288.50.
• On Friday, October 16th, Sardar Biglari sold 25,556 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total value of $421,674.00.

El Pollo Loco Trading Down 9.6%

Shares of El Pollo Loco stock traded down $1.58 on Friday, reaching $14.88. 703,258 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 285,072. The company has a market capitalization of $452.80 million, a P/E ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.85. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.99 and a 52 week high of $17.40. The firm's 50-day moving average is $15.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.41.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.24. The company had revenue of $126.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $127.03 million. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 6.96% and a return on equity of 10.87%. Sell-side analysts predict that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Biglari Capital CORP. bought a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 2nd quarter worth $64,064,704. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco in the 2nd quarter worth about $41,716,000. Tieton Capital Management LLC bought a new position in El Pollo Loco during the second quarter valued at about $17,535,000. Biglari Sardar bought a new position in El Pollo Loco during the second quarter valued at about $8,297,629. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position in El Pollo Loco by 203.8% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 635,468 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $8,808,000 after buying an additional 426,320 shares during the period. 81.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More El Pollo Loco News

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

• Positive Sentiment: System-wide same-store sales grew 5% in Q3, while digital sales accounted for 31% of system sales—signs of continued customer demand and digital-channel traction. El Pollo Loco: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Management plans to open 25–30 restaurants in 2027 and projects approximately 4.5% comparable-sales growth for 2026, indicating continued expansion and sales momentum. El Pollo Loco expansion and sales outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 adjusted earnings were $0.24 per share, matching analysts’ consensus. El Pollo Loco Q3 earnings match estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue was $126.31 million, slightly below the $127.03 million analyst estimate. EPS also fell from $0.27 in the year-ago quarter to $0.24, which may weigh on sentiment despite meeting expectations. El Pollo Loco Q3 earnings report

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on LOCO shares. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of El Pollo Loco from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of El Pollo Loco from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded El Pollo Loco from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Roth Capital began coverage on El Pollo Loco in a research report on Friday, October 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded El Pollo Loco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $17.30.

About El Pollo Loco

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc NASDAQ: LOCO operates and franchises quick-service restaurants specializing in Mexican-inspired food and citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken. Its menu includes chicken meals, burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salads, bowls and family meals, along with a variety of sides, beverages and desserts.

The company was founded in 1975 in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, and expanded into the United States in 1980 with its first restaurant in Los Angeles. El Pollo Loco primarily serves customers through restaurants in the western and southwestern United States, particularly in California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Texas.

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