El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

El Pollo Loco Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LOCO opened at $11.47 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.48. The company has a market cap of $343.41 million, a P/E ratio of 14.52 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.31. El Pollo Loco has a one year low of $8.17 and a one year high of $14.25.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $120.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $121.03 million. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.11% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.19 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that El Pollo Loco will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. grew its stake in El Pollo Loco by 91.8% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 2,094 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 7.5% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 15,606 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 1,090 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 22.3% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,713 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $124,000 after buying an additional 1,954 shares during the last quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in El Pollo Loco during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. 81.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About El Pollo Loco

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiary, El Pollo Loco, Inc, develops, franchises, licenses, and operates quick-service restaurants under the El Pollo Loco name. It operates and franchises restaurants located in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Utah, and Louisiana. It also licenses its brand to restaurants in the Philippines.