FY2024 EPS Estimates for El Pollo Loco Decreased by Analyst

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) – Stock analysts at William Blair decreased their FY2024 earnings estimates for shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, October 23rd. William Blair analyst S. Zackfia now anticipates that the restaurant operator will earn $0.77 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $0.79. The consensus estimate for El Pollo Loco’s current full-year earnings is $0.80 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for El Pollo Loco’s Q4 2024 earnings at $0.12 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on LOCO. Truist Financial raised their target price on El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd.

El Pollo Loco Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LOCO opened at $12.76 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $13.45 and its 200-day moving average is $11.65. The company has a market cap of $381.91 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.84 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.35. El Pollo Loco has a 52-week low of $8.11 and a 52-week high of $14.25.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The restaurant operator reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $122.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $120.39 million. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 5.76%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.23 earnings per share.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Sardar Biglari acquired 21,325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $13.13 per share, for a total transaction of $279,997.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 159,241 shares in the company, valued at $2,090,834.33. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have purchased 189,177 shares of company stock valued at $2,483,158 over the last three months. 1.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LOCO. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 321.8% during the first quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 145,498 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 111,000 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 5.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,323,373 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $12,890,000 after buying an additional 67,368 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in El Pollo Loco by 797.2% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 102,257 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $996,000 after buying an additional 90,860 shares during the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP lifted its stake in El Pollo Loco by 197.2% in the 1st quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 491,244 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,785,000 after acquiring an additional 325,963 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,735,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

About El Pollo Loco

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiary, El Pollo Loco, Inc, develops, franchises, licenses, and operates quick-service restaurants under the El Pollo Loco name. It operates and franchises restaurants located in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Utah, and Louisiana. It also licenses its brand to restaurants in the Philippines.