Analysts Set El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) Price Target at $14.50

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $14.50.

A number of analysts recently commented on LOCO shares. Zacks Research lowered El Pollo Loco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial upped their target price on El Pollo Loco from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th.

El Pollo Loco Stock Up 2.6%

El Pollo Loco stock opened at $11.35 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $339.93 million, a PE ratio of 12.90 and a beta of 0.98. El Pollo Loco has a 12-month low of $8.29 and a 12-month high of $12.65. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $10.87 and its 200 day moving average is $10.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.04. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 10.15%. The firm had revenue of $121.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $123.57 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that El Pollo Loco will post 0.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LOCO. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in El Pollo Loco by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,400,032 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $13,580,000 after acquiring an additional 16,867 shares in the last quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 495.3% in the second quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 1,231,087 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $13,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024,302 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 2.1% during the third quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 741,793 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $7,195,000 after buying an additional 15,400 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 197.4% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 680,391 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $7,008,000 after buying an additional 451,575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 1.9% during the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 630,903 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,120,000 after buying an additional 11,913 shares in the last quarter. 81.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About El Pollo Loco

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.