El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) Stock Has Average Target Price of $17.30

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Oct 14th, 2026

Shares of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO – Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.30.

LOCO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of El Pollo Loco from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Freedom Capital raised El Pollo Loco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Benchmark increased their price target on shares of El Pollo Loco from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Roth Capital initiated coverage on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Friday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of El Pollo Loco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on El Pollo Loco

Insider Transactions at El Pollo Loco

In other news, major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 80,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.90, for a total transaction of $1,352,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 66,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,122,531.80. This trade represents a 54.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 119,257 shares of company stock worth $2,008,764 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco in the second quarter worth $48,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the 1st quarter valued at $88,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the 2nd quarter valued at $200,000. Man Group plc purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the 2nd quarter valued at $253,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 60.2% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 18,927 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 7,113 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

El Pollo Loco Stock Up 3.3%

LOCO opened at $15.82 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $15.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.95. El Pollo Loco has a twelve month low of $8.98 and a twelve month high of $17.40. The stock has a market cap of $481.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.93 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $129.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $130.29 million. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.87% and a net margin of 6.96%. As a group, equities analysts expect that El Pollo Loco will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

El Pollo Loco Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc operates and franchises quick-service restaurants under the El Pollo Loco brand. The company specializes in Mexican-inspired meals centered on citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken, prepared using traditional cooking methods. Its menu includes chicken meals, burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salads, bowls, family meals and a variety of side dishes, beverages and desserts.

El Pollo Loco was founded in 1975 in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, and opened its first restaurant in the United States in 1980.