Sardar Biglari Sells 80,000 Shares of El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Stock

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 80,000 shares of El Pollo Loco 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 66,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,122,531.80. This trade represents a 54.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Sardar Biglari also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, August 3rd, Sardar Biglari sold 20,000 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.73, for a total value of $334,600.00.
• On Thursday, July 30th, Sardar Biglari sold 546 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.70, for a total transaction of $9,118.20.
• On Wednesday, July 29th, Sardar Biglari sold 6,611 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.71, for a total value of $110,469.81.
• On Friday, July 17th, Sardar Biglari sold 11,000 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.71, for a total value of $183,810.00.
• On Monday, July 13th, Sardar Biglari sold 75,000 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.74, for a total value of $1,255,500.00.
• On Thursday, July 2nd, Sardar Biglari sold 9,525 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.92, for a total transaction of $161,163.00.
• On Wednesday, July 1st, Sardar Biglari sold 132,421 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.27, for a total value of $2,286,910.67.
• On Tuesday, June 30th, Sardar Biglari sold 22,600 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.91, for a total transaction of $382,166.00.
• On Monday, June 29th, Sardar Biglari sold 100,000 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.58, for a total value of $1,658,000.00.
• On Friday, June 26th, Sardar Biglari sold 100,000 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.75, for a total transaction of $1,675,000.00.

El Pollo Loco Stock Performance

NASDAQ LOCO opened at $16.37 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $498.47 million, a P/E ratio of 16.70 and a beta of 0.78. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.98 and a 12-month high of $17.40. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $13.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.02. The company 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 11.04% and a net margin of 5.87%. Sell-side analysts predict that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

El Pollo Loco announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, May 28th that allows the company to buyback $40.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the restaurant operator to repurchase up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 85.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,862 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,774 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in El Pollo Loco during the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in El Pollo Loco by 89.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,277 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 2,493 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming bought a new position in El Pollo Loco in the 1st quarter worth about $88,000. Finally, Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the 3rd quarter valued at about $97,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded El Pollo Loco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Freedom Capital upgraded El Pollo Loco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. DA Davidson upped their price target on El Pollo Loco from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Benchmark lifted their price objective on El Pollo Loco from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $14.88.

Key Stories Impacting El Pollo Loco

Here are the key news stories impacting El Pollo Loco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings exceeded expectations. El Pollo Loco reported second-quarter EPS of $0.30, ahead of analyst estimates ranging from $0.28 to $0.29 and up from $0.28 a year earlier. The result indicates some earnings resilience despite ongoing operating pressures. El Pollo Loco Holdings Tops Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed forecasts. Quarterly revenue was $129.57 million versus the $130.29 million consensus estimate. El Pollo Loco posted a 5.87% net margin and 11.04% return on equity, while full-year analyst expectations remain approximately $0.95 in EPS. El Pollo Loco Announces Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and analyst views are mixed. El Pollo Loco has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, but the reported average price target of $14.88 is below the stock’s recent trading level. Prior targets range from $15 to $18, suggesting limited upside at the current valuation for some analysts. El Pollo Loco analyst data
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Sardar Biglari continued to reduce his position. Biglari sold 80,000 shares for approximately $1.35 million on August 5 and another 20,000 shares for about $335,000 on August 3. The transactions add to a series of recent sales and may pressure investor sentiment by signaling reduced insider conviction or creating additional share supply. El Pollo Loco major shareholder sales

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.