Samuel N. Borgese Sells 4,643 Shares of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) Stock

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) Director Samuel N. Borgese sold 4,643 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.30, for a total transaction of $43,179.90. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,222 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $318,264.60. This represents a 11.95 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

El Pollo Loco Stock Up 9.6 %

Shares of LOCO opened at $10.17 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $11.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.94. The stock has a market cap of $302.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.87 and a beta of 1.35. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.17 and a 12 month high of $14.25.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.06. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 5.11%. The business had revenue of $114.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 million. Equities analysts predict that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new position in El Pollo Loco during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 91.8% during the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 2,094 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 1,002 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $70,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 235.6% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 7,389 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 5,187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $107,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on LOCO. Craig Hallum initiated coverage on El Pollo Loco in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. Benchmark restated a “hold” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

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.