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 company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.58, for a total value of $1,658,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,800,000 shares in the company, valued at $63,004,000. This trade represents a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares 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 Friday, June 26th, Sardar Biglari sold 100,000 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.75, for a total value of $1,675,000.00.

El Pollo Loco Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:LOCO opened at $17.20 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $523.74 million, a P/E ratio of 17.55 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.32. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $8.98 and a 1 year high of $17.40. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $14.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.73.

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

El Pollo Loco announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LOCO. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of El Pollo Loco from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Friday, March 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut El Pollo Loco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, El Pollo Loco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.88.

Trending Headlines about El Pollo Loco

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings 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 valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,774 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 89.5% in the third 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 period. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 1st quarter valued at about $88,000. Finally, Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 3rd quarter valued at about $97,000. 81.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.