El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Major Shareholder Sardar Biglari Sells 25,556 Shares of Stock

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 25,556 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total transaction of $421,674.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,513,405 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,971,182.50. This represents a 0.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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 Friday, August 7th, Sardar Biglari sold 1,100 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.06, for a total transaction of $18,766.00.
• 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 Monday, August 3rd, Sardar Biglari sold 20,000 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.73, for a total transaction of $334,600.00.
• 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 stock was sold at an average price of $16.71, for a total value of $110,469.81.

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LOCO traded down $0.24 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $15.70. 246,222 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 243,628. The firm has a market capitalization of $477.75 million, a PE ratio of 14.49 and a beta of 0.77. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.98 and a 52 week high of $17.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company’s 50 day moving average is $15.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.02.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.02. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.87% and a net margin of 6.96%. The company had revenue of $129.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $130.29 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on LOCO shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Freedom Capital raised shares of El Pollo Loco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Roth Capital began coverage on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Friday, October 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of El Pollo Loco from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of El Pollo Loco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $17.30.

Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in El Pollo Loco in the second quarter valued at about $48,000. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco in the first quarter worth about $88,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Man Group plc acquired a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $253,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 60.2% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 18,927 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 7,113 shares in the last quarter. 81.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About El Pollo Loco

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc operates and franchises quick-service restaurants under the El Pollo Loco brand. The company specializes in Mexican-inspired meals centered on citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken, prepared using traditional cooking methods. Its menu includes chicken meals, burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salads, bowls, family meals and a variety of side dishes, beverages and desserts.

El Pollo Loco was founded in 1975 in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, and opened its first restaurant in the United States in 1980.