El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.04 EPS

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.04, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $123.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $122.18 million. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 10.15%.

El Pollo Loco Stock Down 2.2%

LOCO stock traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $10.88. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 315,709 shares, compared to its average volume of 203,946. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $10.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.41 and a quick ratio of 0.38. El Pollo Loco has a twelve month low of $8.29 and a twelve month high of $11.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $325.86 million, a P/E ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 1.00.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOCO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson started coverage on El Pollo Loco in a research note on Friday, March 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $11.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research cut El Pollo Loco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Truist Financial increased their target price on El Pollo Loco from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.17.

Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LOCO. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in El Pollo Loco by 93.9% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,037,293 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $10,850,000 after purchasing an additional 502,378 shares during the last quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC increased its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 193.4% during the 4th quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC now owns 745,140 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $7,794,000 after purchasing an additional 491,184 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 197.4% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 680,391 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $7,008,000 after purchasing an additional 451,575 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 788.2% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 214,123 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,077,000 after purchasing an additional 190,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Monimus Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,365,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

About El Pollo Loco

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.