Brokerages Set El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) Target Price at $12.88

Shares of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $12.8750.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Benchmark upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research lowered El Pollo Loco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st.

El Pollo Loco Stock Performance

NASDAQ LOCO opened at $13.81 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $413.75 million, a P/E ratio of 15.34 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. El Pollo Loco has a 12-month low of $8.29 and a 12-month high of $14.50.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $123.52 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $122.18 million. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.40% and a return on equity of 10.39%. Sell-side analysts predict that El Pollo Loco will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 85.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,862 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 1,774 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the fourth quarter valued at about $50,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 89.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,277 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,493 shares in the last quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC purchased a new position in El Pollo Loco during the third quarter worth about $97,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in El Pollo Loco during the second quarter worth about $110,000. 81.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.