El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Stock Price Crosses Above 50-Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $14.00 and traded as high as $15.84. El Pollo Loco shares last traded at $15.57, with a volume of 268,998 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings raised El Pollo Loco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Benchmark lifted their price target on El Pollo Loco from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on El Pollo Loco from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.88.

El Pollo Loco Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $474.11 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89 and a beta of 0.81. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $14.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.30.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $126.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $122.02 million. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 5.87%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOCO. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 93.9% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,037,293 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $10,850,000 after acquiring an additional 502,378 shares in the last quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC raised its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 193.4% in the 4th quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC now owns 745,140 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $7,794,000 after acquiring an additional 491,184 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 197.4% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 680,391 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $7,008,000 after acquiring an additional 451,575 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 203.8% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 635,468 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $8,808,000 after acquiring an additional 426,320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 59.0% during the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 571,296 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $5,976,000 after buying an additional 211,900 shares in the last quarter. 81.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.