El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) Director Sells $12,551.40 in Stock

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) Director Samuel N. Borgese sold 1,140 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.01, for a total value of $12,551.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,250 shares in the company, valued at $222,952.50. The trade was a 5.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

El Pollo Loco Stock Down 0.8 %

LOCO stock traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $9.55. 293,992 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 275,103. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.17 and a 52 week high of $14.25. The company has a market cap of $287.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.09 and a beta of 1.35. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $10.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.84. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $114.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.19 million. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.11% and a return on equity of 10.34%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 91.8% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 2,094 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,002 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 4,840.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,668 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 2,614 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the fourth quarter valued at about $70,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 235.6% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 7,389 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 5,187 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on LOCO shares. Benchmark reissued a "hold" rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com upgraded El Pollo Loco from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Craig Hallum initiated coverage on El Pollo Loco in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $18.00 price target on the 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.