El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Upgraded to “Buy” by StockNews.com

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Separately, Truist Financial raised their target price on 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 opened at $12.61 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $13.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.59. The company has a market capitalization of $392.17 million, a P/E ratio of 15.57 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.35. El Pollo Loco has a fifty-two week low of $8.11 and a fifty-two week high of $14.25.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The restaurant operator reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $122.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $120.39 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.23 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that El Pollo Loco will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at El Pollo Loco

In related news, major shareholder Sardar Biglari purchased 62,362 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $12.47 per share, with a total value of $777,654.14. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 87,362 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,089,404.14. This represents a 200.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 189,177 shares of company stock valued at $2,483,158. 1.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in El Pollo Loco by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,323,373 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $12,890,000 after purchasing an additional 67,368 shares in the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP lifted its stake in El Pollo Loco by 197.2% in the 1st quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 491,244 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $4,785,000 after purchasing an additional 325,963 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in El Pollo Loco in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,407,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in El Pollo Loco by 49.8% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 217,922 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,465,000 after purchasing an additional 72,424 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rodgers Brothers Inc. lifted its stake in El Pollo Loco by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. now owns 212,725 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,072,000 after purchasing an additional 5,500 shares in the last quarter. 81.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.