Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Takes Position in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO)

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new position in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 153,385 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,735,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in El Pollo Loco by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,360,543 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $20,820,000 after buying an additional 20,907 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,323,373 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $12,890,000 after acquiring an additional 67,368 shares during the period. Fund 1 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,746,000. Invenomic Capital Management LP raised its stake in El Pollo Loco by 197.2% during the 1st quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 491,244 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $4,785,000 after acquiring an additional 325,963 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,407,000. 81.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LOCO. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th.

El Pollo Loco Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of LOCO opened at $13.70 on Tuesday. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.11 and a 12-month high of $14.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $426.07 million, a PE ratio of 16.91 and a beta of 1.50. The business’s 50 day moving average is $12.92 and its 200 day moving average is $11.05.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The restaurant operator reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.05. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.76% and a return on equity of 10.33%. The firm had revenue of $122.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $120.39 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Sardar Biglari acquired 21,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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 approximately $2,090,834.33. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders have purchased a total of 189,177 shares of company stock worth $2,483,158 in the last 90 days. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.