Key Points
- Major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 1,100 LOCO shares for $18,766 at an average price of $17.06, reducing his direct ownership by 1.64% to 65,872 shares. The sale follows several larger disposals in recent weeks.
- El Pollo Loco shares opened at $14.83, down 2.4%, with a market capitalization of approximately $451 million. The company recently reported quarterly EPS of $0.30, beating estimates, while revenue of $129.57 million fell slightly short of expectations.
- Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with an average “Moderate Buy” rating and a $16.12 price target. The board has also authorized a $40 million share-repurchase program, covering up to 9.5% of outstanding shares.
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 1,100 shares of El Pollo Loco stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.06, for a total value of $18,766.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 65,872 shares in the company, valued at $1,123,776.32. This represents a 1.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company's shares 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 stock was sold at an average price of $16.90, for a total value of $1,352,000.00.
- On Monday, August 3rd, Sardar Biglari sold 20,000 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.73, for a total value of $334,600.00.
- On Thursday, July 30th, Sardar Biglari sold 546 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.70, for a total value 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 value of $110,469.81.
- On Friday, July 17th, Sardar Biglari sold 11,000 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was 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 stock was sold at an average price of $16.74, for a total transaction of $1,255,500.00.
- On Thursday, July 2nd, Sardar Biglari sold 9,525 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were 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 stock was 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 stock was sold at an average price of $16.58, for a total transaction of $1,658,000.00.
El Pollo Loco Stock Down 2.4%
Shares of NASDAQ LOCO opened at $14.83 on Wednesday. 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 cap of $451.28 million, a PE ratio of 12.68 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company has a 50-day moving average of $15.96 and a 200 day moving average of $13.81.
El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.02. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 6.96% and a return on equity of 10.87%. The company had revenue of $129.57 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $130.29 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.
El Pollo Loco announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, May 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $40.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the restaurant operator to purchase up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities analysts recently commented on LOCO shares. Benchmark lifted their price objective on El Pollo Loco from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Freedom Capital upgraded El Pollo Loco to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings raised El Pollo Loco from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on El Pollo Loco from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, El Pollo Loco presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $16.12.
Check Out Our Latest Report on El Pollo Loco
Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco
Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 85.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,862 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 1,774 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in El Pollo Loco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 2,493 shares during the period. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in El Pollo Loco in the first quarter worth approximately $88,000. Finally, Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the third quarter worth $97,000. 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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