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

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

El Pollo Loco Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LOCO traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $11.41. 155,577 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 164,329. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $11.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.48. The firm has a market cap of $341.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.44 and a beta of 1.47. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.04. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 5.11%. The firm had revenue of $120.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $121.03 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.19 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate 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 added to or reduced their stakes in LOCO. Biglari Sardar grew its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 307.7% in the third quarter. Biglari Sardar now owns 489,247 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,703,000 after purchasing an additional 369,247 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in El Pollo Loco by 372.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 70,409 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $951,000 after buying an additional 55,510 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in El Pollo Loco by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 411,298 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $5,635,000 after acquiring an additional 75,542 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the third quarter worth approximately $1,056,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 99.2% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 60,541 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $829,000 after acquiring an additional 30,143 shares in the last quarter. 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.