Q2 EPS Estimates for El Pollo Loco Lowered by William Blair

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO - Free Report) - Equities researchers at William Blair reduced their Q2 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of El Pollo Loco in a note issued to investors on Thursday, May 1st. William Blair analyst S. Zackfia now anticipates that the restaurant operator will earn $0.26 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.27. The consensus estimate for El Pollo Loco's current full-year earnings is $0.83 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for El Pollo Loco's Q3 2025 earnings at $0.24 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.20 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $0.89 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $0.91 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Benchmark reissued a "hold" rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Craig Hallum started 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 target on the stock.

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

Shares of El Pollo Loco stock traded up $0.04 during trading on Monday, hitting $9.05. 33,091 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 252,407. El Pollo Loco has a fifty-two week low of $8.29 and a fifty-two week high of $14.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $9.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $271.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.46 and a beta of 1.11.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The restaurant operator reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $118.20 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.22 earnings per share. El Pollo Loco's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LSV Asset Management raised its stake in El Pollo Loco by 21.1% during the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,533,400 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $17,695,000 after purchasing an additional 266,908 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 332.2% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 289,739 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $3,344,000 after buying an additional 222,704 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 392.6% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 228,816 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $2,641,000 after buying an additional 182,366 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 54.0% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 453,422 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $5,232,000 after acquiring an additional 159,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,146,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.28% of the company's stock.

About El Pollo Loco

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.