El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiary El Pollo Loco, Inc., develops, franchises, licenses and operates quick service restaurants under the name El Pollo Loco. The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California.
| Revenue (TTM) | $500.79M |
| Gross Profit (TTM) | $115.66M |
| EBITDA | $65.97M |
| Operating Margin | 9.94% |
| Return on Equity | 11.80% |
| Return on Assets | 5.07% |
| Revenue/Share (TTM) | $17.02 |
| Book Value | $10.41 |
| Price-to-Book | 1.37 |
| Price-to-Sales (TTM) | 0.86 |
| EV/Revenue | 1.279 |
| EV/EBITDA | 9.24 |
| Quarterly Earnings Growth (YoY) | 79.20% |
| Quarterly Revenue Growth (YoY) | 3.00% |
| Shares Outstanding | $30.43M |
| Float | $25.63M |
| % Insiders | 2.45% |
| % Institutions | 99.20% |
Volatility is currently expanding
Caramel Apple ChataCoffee™, Pumpkin Pie Mini Churros and Red & Green Chile Cheesy Enchilada Double Chicken Bowls all available for a limited time Caramel Apple ChataCoffee™, Pumpkin Pie Mini Churros and Red & Green Chile Cheesy Enchilada Double Chicken Bowls all available for a limited time
El Pollo Loco Holdings remains a high-quality value pick, outperforming the market with >40% YTD gains despite the recent pullback. LOCO raised FY26 comparable sales guidance to 3.5-4.5%, up from the prior 2-4%, signaling resilient demand in a tough consumer environment. Carryout sales and loyalty program strength are driving comps, with carryout up 12% y/y and Rewards members visiting 3x more frequently.
Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.
The average of price targets set by Wall Street analysts indicates a potential upside of 33.8% in El Pollo Loco (LOCO). While the effectiveness of this highly sought-after metric is questionable, the positive trend in earnings estimate revisions might translate into an upside in the stock.
El Pollo Loco remains a Buy, supported by asset-light expansion, strong unit economics, and a shift beyond California. LOCO's franchise-led growth leverages low-cost conversions, driving higher ROI and expanding EBITDA margins toward a 20% long-term target. Management raised FY 2026 guidance: same-store sales to 3.5–4.5%, adjusted EBITDA to $68–70M, and reduced CapEx, supporting FCF and capital allocation flexibility.
COSTA MESA, Calif., Sept. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (“El Pollo Loco”) (NASDAQ: LOCO) today announced that it will participate in the following conferences:
Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.
The fire-grilled chicken authority champions new holiday with month-long celebration of the much-loved protein The fire-grilled chicken authority champions new holiday with month-long celebration of the much-loved protein
The mean of analysts' price targets for El Pollo Loco (LOCO) points to a 26.6% upside in the stock. While this highly sought-after metric has not proven reasonably effective, strong agreement among analysts in raising earnings estimates does indicate an upside in the stock.
Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.
Tiblio connects your broker and runs your put-and-call-writing strategy for you — on LOCO and any ticker you trade — then tracks every position and per-strategy win rate.
