Super Hi International (NASDAQ:HDL – Get Free Report) and El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO – Get Free Report) are both small-cap retail/wholesale companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, earnings, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation and institutional ownership.
Volatility and Risk
Super Hi International has a beta of -0.16, indicating that its stock price is 116% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, El Pollo Loco has a beta of 0.81, indicating that its stock price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Super Hi International and El Pollo Loco”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Super Hi International | $840.76 million | 1.00 | $36.43 million | $0.60 | 21.51 |
| El Pollo Loco | $490.05 million | 1.00 | $26.49 million | $0.98 | 16.36 |
Super Hi International has higher revenue and earnings than El Pollo Loco. El Pollo Loco is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Super Hi International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Super Hi International and El Pollo Loco, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Super Hi International | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.50 |
| El Pollo Loco | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2.43 |
El Pollo Loco has a consensus price target of $14.88, indicating a potential downside of 7.21%. Given El Pollo Loco’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe El Pollo Loco is more favorable than Super Hi International.
Profitability
This table compares Super Hi International and El Pollo Loco’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Super Hi International | 3.29% | 7.38% | 3.93% |
| El Pollo Loco | 5.87% | 11.04% | 5.26% |
Institutional & Insider Ownership
81.3% of El Pollo Loco shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.0% of El Pollo Loco shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Summary
El Pollo Loco beats Super Hi International on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Super Hi International
Super Hi International Holding Ltd., an investment holding company, operates Haidilao branded Chinese cuisine restaurants in Asia, North America, and internationally. The company is involved in the food delivery business. It also engages in sale of hot pot condiment products and food ingredients. The company was incorporated in 2022 and is based in Singapore.
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. The company was formerly known as Chicken Acquisition Corp. and changed its name to El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. in April 2014. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California.
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