Prudential Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO - Free Report) by 332.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 289,739 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 222,704 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. owned about 0.97% of El Pollo Loco worth $3,344,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LOCO. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 54.0% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 453,422 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $5,232,000 after purchasing an additional 159,000 shares during the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,142,000. Monimus Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the 4th quarter valued at $935,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 22.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 411,298 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $5,635,000 after acquiring an additional 75,542 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 55,510 shares in the last quarter. 81.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
LOCO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of El Pollo Loco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. Benchmark reissued a "hold" rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Craig Hallum began coverage on El Pollo Loco in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $18.00 price target on the stock.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on LOCO
El Pollo Loco Price Performance
Shares of LOCO traded down $0.75 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $9.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 616,120 shares, compared to its average volume of 268,119. 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 Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $8.17 and a one year high of $14.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $276.93 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.77 and a beta of 1.35. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $11.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.06.
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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.06. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.11% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The business had revenue of $114.28 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $113.19 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
El Pollo Loco Company Profile
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Free Report)
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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