El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Lifted to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Separately, Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd.

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

Shares of LOCO stock traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $12.67. 204,534 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 279,970. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $13.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.58. The firm has a market cap of $394.04 million, a PE ratio of 15.64 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.32. El Pollo Loco has a 1-year low of $8.11 and a 1-year high of $14.25.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The restaurant operator reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.05. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.33% and a net margin of 5.76%. The company had revenue of $122.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $120.39 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.23 earnings per share. El Pollo Loco's quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that El Pollo Loco will post 0.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at El Pollo Loco

In other news, major shareholder Sardar Biglari purchased 62,362 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $12.47 per share, with a total value of $777,654.14. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 87,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,089,404.14. This trade represents a 200.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders bought 189,177 shares of company stock valued at $2,483,158. 1.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. CWM LLC lifted its position in El Pollo Loco by 34.1% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,808 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 969 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 15,606 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $172,000 after acquiring an additional 1,090 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the third quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 17.7% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 34,044 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $385,000 after purchasing an additional 5,112 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.28% of the company's 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.