Federated Hermes Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO)

Federated Hermes Inc. reduced its holdings in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO - Free Report) by 87.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,479 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 29,974 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.'s holdings in El Pollo Loco were worth $52,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco in the 4th quarter valued at about $70,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 1,954 shares during the last quarter. Olympiad Research LP acquired a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 4th quarter worth about $130,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 4th quarter worth about $156,000. Finally, Bailard Inc. acquired a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 4th quarter worth about $252,000. 81.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Craig Hallum assumed coverage on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $18.00 price target on the stock. Benchmark restated a "hold" rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded El Pollo Loco from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th.

El Pollo Loco Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of LOCO stock traded down $0.12 on Thursday, hitting $9.39. The company had a trading volume of 34,712 shares, compared to its average volume of 251,877. The firm has a market cap of $282.08 million, a P/E ratio of 11.88 and a beta of 1.35. The stock's 50-day moving average is $10.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.31. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $8.26 and a twelve month high of $14.25.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.