Divisadero Street Capital Management LP Purchases 1,024,302 Shares of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. $LOCO

Divisadero Street Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) by 495.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,231,087 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 1,024,302 shares during the quarter. El Pollo Loco comprises about 0.9% of Divisadero Street Capital Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP owned approximately 4.10% of El Pollo Loco worth $13,554,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gabelli Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco during the second quarter valued at approximately $519,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in El Pollo Loco by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 77,612 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $855,000 after purchasing an additional 3,312 shares during the period. Carlson Capital L.P. bought a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the 2nd quarter valued at $672,000. Boston Partners bought a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the 2nd quarter valued at $551,000. Finally, Tieton Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 114,850 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $18.00.

El Pollo Loco Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of LOCO stock opened at $11.29 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $338.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83 and a beta of 1.00. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $8.29 and a 52-week high of $13.14. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.36.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $121.52 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $123.57 million. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.15% and a net margin of 5.39%. Research analysts anticipate 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.