El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday.

Separately, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd.

El Pollo Loco Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LOCO opened at $12.82 on Wednesday. El Pollo Loco has a 52-week low of $8.11 and a 52-week high of $14.25. The company has a market capitalization of $398.70 million, a PE ratio of 15.83 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. The company has a fifty day moving average of $13.47 and a 200-day moving average of $11.57.

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 analysts’ expectations of $120.39 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.23 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that El Pollo Loco will post 0.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Sardar Biglari purchased 62,362 shares of El Pollo Loco stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $12.47 per share, for a total transaction of $777,654.14. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 87,362 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,089,404.14. This represents a 200.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders purchased a total of 189,177 shares of company stock valued at $2,483,158 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco during the second quarter worth $4,407,000. Invenomic Capital Management LP grew its holdings 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. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,735,000. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 384.0% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 175,670 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,987,000 after purchasing an additional 139,375 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 321.8% during the 1st quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 145,498 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,417,000 after purchasing an additional 111,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

El Pollo Loco Company 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.