El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) Receives $12.88 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $13.3750.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LOCO shares. DA Davidson set a $11.00 price objective on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of El Pollo Loco from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research lowered El Pollo Loco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 4.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 287,143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,958,000 after purchasing an additional 13,095 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew 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 valued at $7,008,000 after purchasing an additional 451,575 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in El Pollo Loco by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 188,519 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,942,000 after buying an additional 12,964 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco during the first quarter worth about $221,000. Finally, Creative Planning acquired a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $240,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

El Pollo Loco Stock Performance

NASDAQ LOCO opened at $13.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.30. El Pollo Loco has a 1-year low of $8.29 and a 1-year high of $14.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $413.15 million, a P/E ratio of 15.32 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.24.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $123.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $122.18 million. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.40% and a return on equity of 10.39%. Equities analysts predict that El Pollo Loco will post 0.96 EPS for the current year.

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.