Analysts Offer Predictions for El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.’s Q2 2024 Earnings (NASDAQ:LOCO)

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) – Analysts at William Blair decreased their Q2 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report issued on Friday, May 3rd. William Blair analyst S. Zackfia now forecasts that the restaurant operator will post earnings of $0.22 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.23. The consensus estimate for El Pollo Loco’s current full-year earnings is $0.63 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for El Pollo Loco’s Q4 2024 earnings at $0.08 EPS.

LOCO has been the topic of several other reports. Truist Financial raised their target price on El Pollo Loco from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. StockNews.com raised El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday.

El Pollo Loco Stock Down 1.1 %

El Pollo Loco stock opened at $10.21 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $318.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.60 and a beta of 1.44. El Pollo Loco has a 52 week low of $8.11 and a 52 week high of $11.99. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $8.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $116.15 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.09 million. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.13% and a net margin of 5.64%. The company’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.14 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in El Pollo Loco by 33.1% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 541,441 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $4,846,000 after purchasing an additional 134,673 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in El Pollo Loco during the third quarter worth approximately $1,162,000. Graham Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in El Pollo Loco by 183.7% during the third quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 46,438 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 30,068 shares in the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC boosted its position in El Pollo Loco by 122.8% during the third quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 101,393 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $907,000 after purchasing an additional 55,876 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in El Pollo Loco by 285.7% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 8,338 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 6,176 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

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.