El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $16.42 and last traded at $16.5350, with a volume of 11122 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.25.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings raised El Pollo Loco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on El Pollo Loco from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Benchmark upped their target price on El Pollo Loco from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.88.

El Pollo Loco Stock Up 2.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.34. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $14.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.57. The company has a market cap of $505.71 million, a P/E ratio of 16.94 and a beta of 0.81.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $126.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $122.02 million. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 11.04%. Equities research analysts anticipate that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

El Pollo Loco declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, May 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $40.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the restaurant operator to reacquire up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in El Pollo Loco by 93.9% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,037,293 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $10,850,000 after buying an additional 502,378 shares in the last quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC boosted its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 193.4% in the fourth quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC now owns 745,140 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $7,794,000 after acquiring an additional 491,184 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in El Pollo Loco by 197.4% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 680,391 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $7,008,000 after acquiring an additional 451,575 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in El Pollo Loco by 203.8% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 635,468 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $8,808,000 after acquiring an additional 426,320 shares during the period. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 59.0% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 571,296 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,976,000 after acquiring an additional 211,900 shares in the last quarter. 81.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.