Key Points
- Major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 100,000 shares of El Pollo Loco on June 29 at an average price of $16.58, totaling about $1.66 million. After the sale, he still owned 3.8 million shares, and the filing noted the trade reduced his position by 2.56%.
- Biglari also sold 22,600 shares on June 30 and 100,000 shares on June 26, adding to a recent pattern of insider selling.
- El Pollo Loco’s stock has been trading near its 52-week high, and the company recently reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue while also authorizing a $40 million share buyback.
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 22,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.91, for a total transaction of $382,166.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 3,777,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at $63,875,834. This represents a 0.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own at least 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 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 transaction of $1,658,000.00.
- 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 transaction of $1,675,000.00.
El Pollo Loco Trading Up 2.6%
Shares of LOCO opened at $16.96 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The firm's 50-day moving average is $14.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.69. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $8.98 and a twelve month high of $17.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $516.43 million, a P/E ratio of 17.31 and a beta of 0.81.
El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 analysts' expectations of $122.02 million. On average, 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 has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, May 28th that permits the company to repurchase $40.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the restaurant operator to purchase up to 9.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
LOCO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. 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 report on Monday, May 11th. Truist Financial raised their price target on El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Benchmark lifted their price target on El Pollo Loco from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, William Blair reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, El Pollo Loco has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $14.88.
Read Our Latest Research Report on El Pollo Loco
Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOCO. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted 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 purchasing an additional 502,378 shares in the last quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 193.4% during the fourth quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC now owns 745,140 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $7,794,000 after buying an additional 491,184 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 197.4% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 680,391 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $7,008,000 after buying an additional 451,575 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 203.8% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 635,468 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $8,808,000 after buying an additional 426,320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 211,900 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.28% of the company's stock.
El Pollo Loco Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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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