Short Interest in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) Decreases By 13.3%

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,738,144 shares, a decrease of 13.3% from the March 15th total of 2,005,775 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 494,086 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days. Approximately 6.0% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOCO. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 287,143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,958,000 after purchasing an additional 13,095 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 188,519 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,942,000 after purchasing an additional 12,964 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in El Pollo Loco during the 1st quarter worth about $221,000. Finally, Creative Planning bought a new position in El Pollo Loco during the 2nd quarter worth about $240,000. Institutional investors own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

LOCO opened at $13.74 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. El Pollo Loco has a 12 month low of $8.29 and a 12 month high of $14.50. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.12. The stock has a market cap of $411.60 million, a P/E ratio of 15.27 and a beta of 0.88.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.04. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.40% and a return on equity of 10.39%. The business had revenue of $123.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $122.18 million. On average, research analysts expect that El Pollo Loco will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Benchmark raised El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Friday, March 13th. DA Davidson set a $11.00 target price on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $12.88.

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.