El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

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

Separately, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on El Pollo Loco from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd.

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LOCO opened at $10.21 on Monday. El Pollo Loco has a fifty-two week low of $8.11 and a fifty-two week high of $11.99. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $8.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $318.35 million, a PE ratio of 12.60 and a beta of 1.44.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.08. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.13% and a net margin of 5.64%. The business had revenue of $116.15 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.09 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.14 EPS. El Pollo Loco’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that El Pollo Loco will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Jump Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 30.9% during the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 26,059 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 6,159 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in El Pollo Loco by 285.7% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 8,338 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 6,176 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 5.7% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 125,174 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,120,000 after purchasing an additional 6,702 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rodgers Brothers Inc. boosted its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. now owns 215,025 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,924,000 after buying an additional 7,100 shares during the period. 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.