William Blair Investment Management LLC Has $11.36 Million Position in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. $LOCO

William Blair Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,171,235 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 71,328 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in El Pollo Loco were worth $11,361,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 85.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,862 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 1,774 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its position in El Pollo Loco by 31.3% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,229 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. EMC Capital Management bought a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the second quarter valued at about $72,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the third quarter valued at about $107,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the second quarter valued at about $110,000. Institutional investors own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOCO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial increased their target price on El Pollo Loco from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research cut El Pollo Loco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $14.50.

El Pollo Loco Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LOCO opened at $11.12 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $333.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.64 and a beta of 1.00. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $8.29 and a one year high of $11.74. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

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.