Key Points
- Major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 11,000 El Pollo Loco shares at an average price of $16.71, generating $183,810. Following the sale, he owned 3.54 million shares, and the transaction reduced his position by 0.31%.
- Biglari has made several additional sales recently, including 75,000 shares on July 13 and more than 360,000 shares across transactions from June 26 to July 2.
- El Pollo Loco recently reported quarterly EPS and revenue above analyst expectations, while its board authorized a $40 million stock buyback. Analysts’ average rating is “Moderate Buy,” though their average price target of $14.88 is below the stock’s $16.31 opening price.
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 11,000 shares of El Pollo Loco stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.71, for a total value of $183,810.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,538,961 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,136,038.31. This trade represents a 0.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Major 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, July 13th, Sardar Biglari sold 75,000 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.74, for a total value of $1,255,500.00.
- On Thursday, July 2nd, Sardar Biglari sold 9,525 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.92, for a total transaction of $161,163.00.
- On Wednesday, July 1st, Sardar Biglari sold 132,421 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.27, for a total transaction of $2,286,910.67.
- On Tuesday, June 30th, Sardar Biglari sold 22,600 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.91, for a total transaction of $382,166.00.
- 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 shares were sold at an average price of $16.75, for a total transaction of $1,675,000.00.
El Pollo Loco Stock Up 0.7%
LOCO stock opened at $16.31 on Wednesday. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.98 and a 12-month high of $17.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company has a market cap of $496.64 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.64 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a 50 day moving average of $15.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.46.
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 analyst estimates of $122.02 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
El Pollo Loco announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, May 28th that permits the company to buyback $40.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the restaurant operator to purchase up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research analysts have commented on LOCO shares. Benchmark boosted their target price on 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 price target on El Pollo Loco from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded El Pollo Loco from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Freedom Capital raised shares of El Pollo Loco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, El Pollo Loco has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $14.88.
View Our Latest Analysis on El Pollo Loco
Hedge Funds Weigh In On El Pollo Loco
Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 93.9% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,037,293 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $10,850,000 after buying an additional 502,378 shares in the last quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 193.4% in 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 during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 197.4% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 680,391 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $7,008,000 after acquiring an additional 451,575 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 203.8% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 635,468 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $8,808,000 after acquiring an additional 426,320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased 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 valued at $5,976,000 after acquiring an additional 211,900 shares during the last quarter. 81.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About El Pollo Loco
(
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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