AlphaQuest LLC Has $321,000 Stock Holdings in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO)

AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO - Free Report) by 17,165.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,798 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 27,637 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC owned 0.09% of El Pollo Loco worth $321,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LOCO. Biglari Sardar raised its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 307.7% during the third quarter. Biglari Sardar now owns 489,247 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $6,703,000 after buying an additional 369,247 shares during the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 4th quarter worth about $1,142,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 411,298 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $5,635,000 after acquiring an additional 75,542 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 372.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 70,409 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $951,000 after acquiring an additional 55,510 shares during the period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 89.6% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 84,247 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $972,000 after purchasing an additional 39,824 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.28% of the company's stock.

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El Pollo Loco Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LOCO traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $10.17. 322,677 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 267,734. The firm has a market cap of $302.83 million, a PE ratio of 12.87 and a beta of 1.50. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $8.17 and a fifty-two week high of $14.25. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $114.28 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts forecast that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Benchmark reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com raised El Pollo Loco from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Craig Hallum started coverage on El Pollo Loco in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $18.00 price target on the 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.