El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Given Hold Rating at Benchmark

Benchmark reissued their hold rating on shares of El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Free Report) in a research report released on Monday,Benzinga reports.

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of El Pollo Loco from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th.

El Pollo Loco Stock Down 6.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ LOCO traded down $0.63 on Monday, hitting $9.88. The company had a trading volume of 299,152 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,126. 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 has a 12-month low of $8.17 and a 12-month high of $14.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $294.20 million, a P/E ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 1.50. The business has a 50 day moving average of $11.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.41.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $114.28 million during 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, equities research analysts forecast that El Pollo Loco will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Biglari Sardar increased its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 307.7% in 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. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 372.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 70,409 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $951,000 after acquiring an additional 55,510 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 89.6% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 84,247 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $972,000 after purchasing an additional 39,824 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 purchasing an additional 75,542 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the fourth quarter worth about $1,142,000. 81.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.