Truist Financial Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Stock

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) had its target price raised by research analysts at Truist Financial from $11.00 to $12.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Truist Financial’s price target suggests a potential upside of 11.01% from the company’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Zacks Research lowered El Pollo Loco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, El Pollo Loco has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $14.50.

El Pollo Loco Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LOCO traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $10.81. The stock had a trading volume of 31,839 shares, compared to its average volume of 196,772. The firm has a market cap of $323.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.28 and a beta of 0.98. El Pollo Loco has a fifty-two week low of $8.29 and a fifty-two week high of $12.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $10.75 and a 200-day moving average of $10.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $121.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $123.57 million. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.15% and a net margin of 5.39%. Equities research analysts predict that El Pollo Loco will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Boothbay Fund Management LLC bought a new position in El Pollo Loco in the 3rd quarter valued at about $112,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in El Pollo Loco by 11,027.9% during the 3rd quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 35,498 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $344,000 after purchasing an additional 35,179 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 27.2% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 27,726 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 5,934 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 97.1% in the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 105,743 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,026,000 after buying an additional 52,101 shares during the period. Finally, Fund 1 Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 34.1% in the third quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC now owns 253,956 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,463,000 after buying an additional 64,512 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

El Pollo Loco Company Profile

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ: LOCO) is a fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in Mexican-style fire-grilled chicken and complementary menu offerings. The company’s signature product is its marinated, flame-grilled chicken, which is prepared in an open-flame rotisserie and served in a variety of formats including tacos, burritos, bowls and salads. In addition to its core chicken offerings, El Pollo Loco menu items feature fresh-made salsas, guacamole, sides such as charro beans and fresh tortillas, as well as a selection of beverages and desserts.

Founded in 1975 in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, by Juan Francisco Ochoa, the concept expanded into the United States in 1980 with its first U.S.