El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $14.8750.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Benchmark raised their price target on El Pollo Loco from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on El Pollo Loco from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded El Pollo Loco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st.

El Pollo Loco Stock Up 1.6%

NASDAQ:LOCO opened at $16.19 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $492.99 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.52 and a beta of 0.78. El Pollo Loco has a 1-year low of $8.98 and a 1-year high of $17.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $15.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.42.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.06. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 11.04%. The business had revenue of $126.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $122.02 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that El Pollo Loco will post 0.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

El Pollo Loco announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, May 28th that allows the company to repurchase $40.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the restaurant operator to repurchase up to 9.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 75,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.74, for a total transaction of $1,255,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 3,560,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $59,601,999.96. The trade was a 2.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 439,546 shares of company stock valued at $7,418,740 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in El Pollo Loco by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 287,143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,958,000 after purchasing an additional 13,095 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 197.4% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 680,391 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $7,008,000 after buying an additional 451,575 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in El Pollo Loco by 7.4% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 188,519 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,942,000 after buying an additional 12,964 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the first quarter worth about $221,000. Finally, Creative Planning acquired a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the second quarter worth about $240,000. 81.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About El Pollo Loco

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ: LOCO) is a fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in Mexican-style fire-grilled chicken and complementary menu offerings. The company’s signature product is its marinated, flame-grilled chicken, which is prepared in an open-flame rotisserie and served in a variety of formats including tacos, burritos, bowls and salads. In addition to its core chicken offerings, El Pollo Loco menu items feature fresh-made salsas, guacamole, sides such as charro beans and fresh tortillas, as well as a selection of beverages and desserts.

Founded in 1975 in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, by Juan Francisco Ochoa, the concept expanded into the United States in 1980 with its first U.S.