El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Research Coverage Started at DA Davidson

DA Davidson began coverage on shares of El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) in a research note published on Friday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm issued a neutral rating and a $11.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on El Pollo Loco from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research downgraded El Pollo Loco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, 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 research report on Monday, December 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.63.

El Pollo Loco Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of LOCO stock opened at $11.00 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $329.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50 and a beta of 1.00. El Pollo Loco has a 12-month low of $8.29 and a 12-month high of $11.74. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $10.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.48.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in 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 valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 2,493 shares during the period. EMC Capital Management purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the 2nd quarter valued at $72,000. Finally, Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC bought a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the third quarter worth $97,000. 81.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.