El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO – Get Free Report) major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.58, for a total transaction of $1,658,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 3,800,000 shares in the company, valued at $63,004,000. This represents a 2.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 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 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 Down 3.0%
Shares of LOCO opened at $16.68 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $14.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.76. 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 Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $8.98 and a one year high of $17.40. The company has a market cap of $507.91 million, a P/E ratio of 17.02 and a beta of 0.78.
El Pollo Loco declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, May 28th that allows the company to buyback $40.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the restaurant operator to buy up to 9.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research firms have issued reports on LOCO. Wall Street Zen upgraded El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. Weiss Ratings downgraded El Pollo Loco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of El Pollo Loco from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of El Pollo Loco from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $14.88.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on LOCO
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LOCO. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 502,378 shares in the last quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $7,794,000 after buying an additional 491,184 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 197.4% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 680,391 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $7,008,000 after buying an additional 451,575 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 203.8% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 635,468 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $8,808,000 after buying an additional 426,320 shares during the period. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 59.0% in the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 571,296 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,976,000 after buying an additional 211,900 shares during the last quarter. 81.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Key Headlines Impacting El Pollo Loco
Here are the key news stories impacting El Pollo Loco this week:
- Positive Sentiment: El Pollo Loco is expanding its restaurant footprint, with first-time openings in Idaho and a new location in Lubbock, Texas, plus opening-day promotions that could help raise brand awareness and drive sales. El Pollo Loco Opens in Idaho for First Time
- Positive Sentiment: Freedom Capital reportedly issued bullish ratings on El Pollo Loco, adding to the view that the stock may still have upside after its recent operating improvement. Dutch Bros, First Watch, and El Pollo Loco land bull ratings from Freedom Capital
- Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary is questioning how to trade LOCO after first-quarter earnings, but the company had already posted a solid beat on EPS and revenue in its last report, so the market may be weighing valuation rather than fundamentals alone. El Pollo Loco (LOCO): Buy, sell, or hold post Q1 earnings?
- Neutral Sentiment: The company’s recent earnings and buyback authorization remain supportive longer-term signals, including a 40 million dollar repurchase plan that may help offset share-price weakness. Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner: El Pollo Loco’s Turnaround Recipe
- Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold additional shares this week, following earlier large sales, which can pressure sentiment because investors often read insider selling as a sign of reduced confidence or profit-taking. Insider Selling: El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Major Shareholder Sells 22,600 Shares
El Pollo Loco Company Profile
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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