El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. to Post Q2 2024 Earnings of $0.22 Per Share, William Blair Forecasts (NASDAQ:LOCO)

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) – William Blair decreased their Q2 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for El Pollo Loco in a report released on Friday, May 3rd. William Blair analyst S. Zackfia now anticipates that the restaurant operator will earn $0.22 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast 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.

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

LOCO has been the subject of several other reports. Truist Financial increased their price target on El Pollo Loco from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com raised El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday.

El Pollo Loco Trading Up 3.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LOCO opened at $10.32 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $321.78 million, a PE ratio of 12.74 and a beta of 1.44. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $8.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.32. El Pollo Loco has a one year low of $8.11 and a one year high of $11.99.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in El Pollo Loco during the 3rd quarter worth $1,162,000. Graham Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 183.7% in the third quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 46,438 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $416,000 after buying an additional 30,068 shares during the period. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC raised its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 122.8% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 35.6% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 355,759 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,138,000 after purchasing an additional 93,476 shares during the period. 81.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.