Key Points
- Major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 80,000 El Pollo Loco shares at an average price of $16.90, generating $1.35 million. The sale reduced his direct stake by 54.64% to 66,422 shares.
- Biglari has made a series of LOCO sales since late June, including the sale of more than 200,000 shares in July, signaling a substantial reduction in his holdings.
- El Pollo Loco recently reported quarterly earnings and revenue above estimates and approved a $40 million share-repurchase program. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, although their average price target of $14.88 is below the stock’s reported $16.99 price.
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.73, for a total transaction of $334,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 106,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,780,440.06. The trade was a 15.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company's stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.
Sardar Biglari also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Wednesday, August 5th, Sardar Biglari sold 80,000 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.90, for a total transaction of $1,352,000.00.
- On Thursday, July 30th, Sardar Biglari sold 546 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.70, for a total transaction of $9,118.20.
- On Wednesday, July 29th, Sardar Biglari sold 6,611 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.71, for a total transaction of $110,469.81.
- On Friday, July 17th, Sardar Biglari sold 11,000 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.71, for a total transaction of $183,810.00.
- 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 value of $161,163.00.
- On Wednesday, July 1st, Sardar Biglari sold 132,421 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.27, for a total value of $2,286,910.67.
- 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 Monday, June 29th, Sardar Biglari sold 100,000 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was 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 transaction of $1,675,000.00.
El Pollo Loco Trading Up 2.8%
NASDAQ LOCO opened at $16.99 on Thursday. 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 capitalization of $517.35 million, a P/E ratio of 17.34 and a beta of 0.78. The firm's 50-day moving average is $15.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.69. 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 (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $126.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $122.02 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.95 earnings per share for the current year.
El Pollo Loco announced that its board 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 buy up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
LOCO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson raised their price target 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. Benchmark raised their target price on El Pollo Loco from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report 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 note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Freedom Capital raised shares of El Pollo Loco to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $14.88.
Get Our Latest Report on El Pollo Loco
Institutional Investors Weigh In On El Pollo Loco
Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 110,667 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,534,000 after buying an additional 895 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 12,212 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $128,000 after acquiring an additional 1,217 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 85.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,862 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 1,774 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 11.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 20,413 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $198,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 35,492 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $371,000 after acquiring an additional 2,214 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.28% of the company's stock.
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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