El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) Receives $14.50 Consensus PT from Analysts

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $14.50.

LOCO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of El Pollo Loco from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded El Pollo Loco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP increased its position in El Pollo Loco by 495.3% during the second quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 1,231,087 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $13,554,000 after buying an additional 1,024,302 shares during the period. Tieton Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 22.3% during the second quarter. Tieton Capital Management LLC now owns 629,990 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,936,000 after acquiring an additional 114,850 shares during the last quarter. Carlson Capital L.P. acquired a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco in the 2nd quarter valued at $672,000. Boston Partners purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the 2nd quarter valued at $551,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in El Pollo Loco by 177.7% during the 2nd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 62,265 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $686,000 after purchasing an additional 39,844 shares during the period. 81.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

LOCO stock opened at $10.70 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $10.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.41 and a quick ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $320.47 million, a P/E ratio of 12.16 and a beta of 1.01. El Pollo Loco has a 1 year low of $8.29 and a 1 year high of $12.65.

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.