Sardar Biglari Sells 100,000 Shares of El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Stock

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.75, for a total value of $1,675,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 3,900,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,325,000. This trade represents a 2.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• 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 value 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 transaction of $1,658,000.00.

El Pollo Loco Trading Up 1.4%

NASDAQ LOCO opened at $17.20 on Thursday. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $8.98 and a one year high of $17.40. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $14.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $12.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $523.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.55 and a beta of 0.78.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.06. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 11.04%. The company had revenue of $126.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $122.02 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.95 EPS for the current year.

El Pollo Loco declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, May 28th that allows the company to buyback $40.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the restaurant operator to reacquire up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 15.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 247,098 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,425,000 after acquiring an additional 33,195 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in El Pollo Loco by 74.2% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 58,509 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $811,000 after purchasing an additional 24,923 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in El Pollo Loco by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 110,667 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,534,000 after purchasing an additional 895 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in El Pollo Loco by 203.8% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 635,468 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $8,808,000 after purchasing an additional 426,320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the 1st quarter worth approximately $88,000. 81.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LOCO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on El Pollo Loco from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Truist Financial boosted their price target on El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.88.

More El Pollo Loco News

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

• Positive Sentiment: El Pollo Loco said it has entered its 10th state, marking a development milestone that underscores its nationwide expansion plan and could support future unit growth and sales. El Pollo Loco Marks Development Milestone as it Enters 10th State
• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Capital reportedly issued bullish ratings on El Pollo Loco alongside other restaurant names, adding to the case that analysts see upside in the stock after recent earnings strength and operational improvement. Dutch Bros, First Watch, and El Pollo Loco land bull ratings from Freedom Capital
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage discussing whether LOCO is a buy after Q1 earnings suggests investors are still digesting a stronger-than-expected quarter, which included EPS and revenue beats. El Pollo Loco (LOCO): Buy, sell, or hold post Q1 earnings?
• Positive Sentiment: New store openings, including the first El Pollo Loco location in Idaho and a planned opening in Lubbock, support the company’s growth narrative and could lift long-term sales expectations. In nationwide push, El Pollo Loco makes its debut in Idaho Lubbock 1st El Pollo Loco location set to open
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock is also being weighed by a recent insider sale from major shareholder Sardar Biglari, who sold 22,600 shares after earlier larger sales, which can pressure sentiment even though he still retains a large stake. Insider Selling: El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Major Shareholder Sells 22,600 Shares

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.