StockNews.com upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Wednesday morning.
LOCO has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Benchmark restated a "hold" rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Craig Hallum began coverage on El Pollo Loco in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $18.00 price target for the company.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on LOCO
El Pollo Loco Stock Down 0.8 %
NASDAQ LOCO traded down $0.08 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $9.55. 293,992 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 275,586. 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 52-week low of $8.17 and a 52-week high of $14.25. The firm has a market cap of $287.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.09 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a 50 day moving average of $10.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.84.
El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.06. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 5.11%. The firm had revenue of $114.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that El Pollo Loco will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. LSV Asset Management increased its stake in El Pollo Loco by 21.1% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,533,400 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $17,695,000 after acquiring an additional 266,908 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,406,454 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $16,230,000 after buying an additional 34,399 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 618,829 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $7,141,000 after purchasing an additional 40,012 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 593,425 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $8,130,000 after buying an additional 14,692 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 456,432 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $5,267,000 after buying an additional 45,134 shares during the last quarter. 81.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About El Pollo Loco
(
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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.
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