El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $14.50.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in El Pollo Loco by 85.0% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,862 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,774 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 31.3% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,229 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 89.5% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. EMC Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco in the 2nd quarter valued at $72,000. Finally, Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco in the 3rd quarter valued at $97,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

LOCO stock opened at $10.36 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $10.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.42. 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 $310.28 million, a P/E ratio of 11.77 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.

El Pollo Loco Company Profile

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.