XTX Topco Ltd Makes New Investment in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO)

XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 20,734 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $239,000. XTX Topco Ltd owned about 0.07% of El Pollo Loco as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $70,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in El Pollo Loco by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,713 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 1,954 shares during the last quarter. Olympiad Research LP purchased a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the fourth quarter valued at about $130,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $156,000. Finally, Bailard Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $252,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOCO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Craig Hallum initiated coverage on El Pollo Loco in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Monday, March 10th.

El Pollo Loco Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of LOCO opened at $9.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.29. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $8.36 and a 1-year high of $14.25. The stock has a market cap of $290.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.23 and a beta of 1.35. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.58.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.06. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 5.11%. The company had revenue of $114.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 million. Equities analysts forecast that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

El Pollo Loco Profile

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.