El Pollo Loco (LOCO) Set to Post Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Key Points

• El Pollo Loco is expected to report Q3 2026 results on November 5 after the market close, with analysts forecasting $0.2383 in earnings per share and $127.03 million in revenue.
• The company’s prior quarter exceeded EPS expectations, reporting $0.30 per share versus the $0.28 consensus, though revenue of $129.57 million fell slightly short of estimates.
• Analyst sentiment is moderately bullish, with a consensus price target of $17.30 versus the stock’s recent $15.01 price; however, insiders have sold more than 126,000 shares over the past 90 days.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) is expected to post its Q3 2026 results after the market closes on Thursday, November 5th. Analysts expect El Pollo Loco to post earnings of $0.2383 per share and revenue of $127.03 million for the quarter. Parties may visit the company's upcoming Q3 2026 earnings summary page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 4:30 PM ET.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $129.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $130.29 million. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 6.96% and a return on equity of 10.87%. On average, analysts expect El Pollo Loco to post $0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year and $1.09 EPS for the next fiscal year.

El Pollo Loco Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of El Pollo Loco stock opened at $15.01 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $456.75 million, a PE ratio of 12.83 and a beta of 0.77. El Pollo Loco has a 52-week low of $8.98 and a 52-week high of $17.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.41.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other El Pollo Loco news, major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 80,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.90, for a total transaction of $1,352,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 66,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,122,531.80. This represents a 54.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 126,656 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,040. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LOCO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Roth Capital assumed coverage on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Friday, October 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen cut El Pollo Loco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Freedom Capital upgraded El Pollo Loco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded El Pollo Loco from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their target price on El Pollo Loco from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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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