El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Stock Price Passes Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $10.59 and traded as high as $10.89. El Pollo Loco shares last traded at $10.87, with a volume of 132,678 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, El Pollo Loco currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $15.75.

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $325.56 million, a P/E ratio of 12.35 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.41. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.45.

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 company had revenue of $121.52 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $123.57 million. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 10.15%. On average, equities analysts forecast that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 85.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,862 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 1,774 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 31.3% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,229 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake 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 worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,493 shares during the period. EMC Capital Management bought a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the second quarter valued at about $72,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP increased its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 27.3% in the first quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 7,722 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 1,658 shares during the last quarter. 81.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About El Pollo Loco

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.