El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Wednesday.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Benchmark restated a “hold” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Craig Hallum initiated coverage on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company.

El Pollo Loco Stock Performance

Shares of El Pollo Loco stock traded down $0.35 on Wednesday, reaching $9.53. 123,576 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 274,115. The firm has a market capitalization of $283.80 million, a PE ratio of 12.05 and a beta of 1.35. El Pollo Loco has a 1-year low of $8.17 and a 1-year high of $14.25. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $10.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $114.28 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.19 million. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 5.11%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that El Pollo Loco will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the fourth quarter valued at about $70,000. Quarry LP grew its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 235.6% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 7,389 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 5,187 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $107,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,713 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 1,954 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

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.