LSV Asset Management Makes New Investment in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO)

LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 389,663 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $4,407,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC boosted its position in El Pollo Loco by 34.1% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,808 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 969 shares in the last quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the 1st quarter worth approximately $106,000. Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $111,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the 1st quarter worth approximately $182,000. Finally, Boston Partners purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the 1st quarter worth approximately $216,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

El Pollo Loco Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of LOCO opened at $13.25 on Thursday. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $8.11 and a 52-week high of $14.25. The company has a market capitalization of $396.57 million, a PE ratio of 16.36 and a beta of 1.50. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The restaurant operator reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.05. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 5.76%. The business had revenue of $122.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $120.39 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.23 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.8 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOCO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. Truist Financial increased their target price on El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered El Pollo Loco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Sardar Biglari bought 62,362 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $12.47 per share, with a total value of $777,654.14. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 87,362 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,089,404.14. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders purchased 189,177 shares of company stock valued at $2,483,158 in the last three months. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

El Pollo Loco Profile

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.