El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Major Shareholder Sells $98,736.00 in Stock

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 5,984 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total value of $98,736.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 3,494,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $57,655,158. The trade was a 0.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own 10% or more 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, November 4th, Sardar Biglari sold 13,169 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total value of $217,288.50.
• On Friday, October 16th, Sardar Biglari sold 25,556 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total value of $421,674.00.

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

LOCO stock opened at $14.88 on Monday. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.99 and a 52 week high of $17.40. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company has a market cap of $452.80 million, a PE ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 0.85.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 10.35%. The firm had revenue of $126.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $127.03 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports 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. DA Davidson boosted 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 report on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Roth Capital began coverage on El Pollo Loco in a research note on Friday, October 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Finally, Benchmark raised their target price on El Pollo Loco from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $17.30.

Key Stories Impacting El Pollo Loco

Here are the key news stories impacting El Pollo Loco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: System-wide same-store sales grew 5% in Q3, while digital sales accounted for 31% of system sales—signs of continued customer demand and digital-channel traction. El Pollo Loco: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Management plans to open 25–30 restaurants in 2027 and projects approximately 4.5% comparable-sales growth for 2026, indicating continued expansion and sales momentum. El Pollo Loco expansion and sales outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 adjusted earnings were $0.24 per share, matching analysts’ consensus. El Pollo Loco Q3 earnings match estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue was $126.31 million, slightly below the $127.03 million analyst estimate. EPS also fell from $0.27 in the year-ago quarter to $0.24, which may weigh on sentiment despite meeting expectations. El Pollo Loco Q3 earnings report

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LOCO. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in El Pollo Loco by 419.9% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,563 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 2,070 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco during the second quarter valued at about $48,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco during the first quarter valued at about $88,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco during the second quarter worth about $200,000. Finally, Man Group plc bought a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco during the second quarter worth about $253,000. 81.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

El Pollo Loco Company Profile

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: LOCO) operates and franchises quick-service restaurants specializing in Mexican-inspired food and citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken. Its menu includes chicken meals, burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salads, bowls and family meals, along with a variety of sides, beverages and desserts.

The company was founded in 1975 in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, and expanded into the United States in 1980 with its first restaurant in Los Angeles. El Pollo Loco primarily serves customers through restaurants in the western and southwestern United States, particularly in California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Texas.