Investment analysts at Roth Capital assumed coverage on shares of El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO – Get Free Report) in a note issued to investors on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock. Roth Capital’s target price indicates a potential upside of 44.55% from the stock’s previous close.
Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on LOCO. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on El Pollo Loco from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of El Pollo Loco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of El Pollo Loco from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of El Pollo Loco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, El Pollo Loco currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $17.30.
Read Our Latest Research Report on LOCO
El Pollo Loco Price Performance
Shares of LOCO stock opened at $15.22 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. El Pollo Loco has a 12-month low of $8.98 and a 12-month high of $17.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $15.08 and a 200-day moving average of $14.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $463.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.01 and a beta of 0.77.
El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.02. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.87% and a net margin of 6.96%. The business had revenue of $129.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $130.29 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that El Pollo Loco will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Activity at El Pollo Loco
In related news, major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 80,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.90, for a total transaction of $1,352,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 66,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,122,531.80. This represents a 54.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 194,257 shares of company stock valued at $3,264,264 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On El Pollo Loco
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOCO. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 60.2% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 18,927 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 7,113 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in El Pollo Loco during the second quarter valued at approximately $486,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in El Pollo Loco in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,187,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in El Pollo Loco in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,550,000. Finally, Man Group plc acquired a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $253,000. 81.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
About El Pollo Loco
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc operates and franchises quick-service restaurants under the El Pollo Loco brand. The company specializes in Mexican-inspired meals centered on citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken, prepared using traditional cooking methods. Its menu includes chicken meals, burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salads, bowls, family meals and a variety of side dishes, beverages and desserts.
El Pollo Loco was founded in 1975 in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, and opened its first restaurant in the United States in 1980.
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