El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO – Get Free Report) major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 22,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.91, for a total value of $382,166.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 3,777,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $63,875,834. This represents a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.
Sardar Biglari also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Monday, June 29th, Sardar Biglari sold 100,000 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were 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 shares were sold at an average price of $16.75, for a total value of $1,675,000.00.
El Pollo Loco Stock Down 3.0%
Shares of NASDAQ:LOCO opened at $16.68 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $14.60 and its 200 day moving average is $12.76. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.98 and a 12-month high of $17.40. The stock has a market cap of $507.91 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.02 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.
El Pollo Loco declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, May 28th that permits the company to buyback $40.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the restaurant operator to purchase up to 9.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of El Pollo Loco from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. DA Davidson boosted their target price 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. Weiss Ratings lowered El Pollo Loco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.88.
El Pollo Loco News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting El Pollo Loco this week:
- Positive Sentiment: El Pollo Loco is expanding its restaurant footprint, with first-time openings in Idaho and a new location in Lubbock, Texas, plus opening-day promotions that could help raise brand awareness and drive sales. El Pollo Loco Opens in Idaho for First Time
- Positive Sentiment: Freedom Capital reportedly issued bullish ratings on El Pollo Loco, adding to the view that the stock may still have upside after its recent operating improvement. Dutch Bros, First Watch, and El Pollo Loco land bull ratings from Freedom Capital
- Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary is questioning how to trade LOCO after first-quarter earnings, but the company had already posted a solid beat on EPS and revenue in its last report, so the market may be weighing valuation rather than fundamentals alone. El Pollo Loco (LOCO): Buy, sell, or hold post Q1 earnings?
- Neutral Sentiment: The company’s recent earnings and buyback authorization remain supportive longer-term signals, including a 40 million dollar repurchase plan that may help offset share-price weakness. Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner: El Pollo Loco’s Turnaround Recipe
- Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold additional shares this week, following earlier large sales, which can pressure sentiment because investors often read insider selling as a sign of reduced confidence or profit-taking. Insider Selling: El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Major Shareholder Sells 22,600 Shares
Institutional Investors Weigh In On El Pollo Loco
Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LOCO. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in El Pollo Loco by 59.0% in the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 571,296 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,976,000 after purchasing an additional 211,900 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in El Pollo Loco by 648.3% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 152,767 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,117,000 after buying an additional 132,351 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in El Pollo Loco by 11,403.7% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 115,037 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,203,000 after buying an additional 114,037 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the fourth quarter worth $945,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 85.0% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,862 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 1,774 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.28% of the company’s stock.
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.
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