El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $13.6250.

LOCO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Zacks Research cut El Pollo Loco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of El Pollo Loco from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Friday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $11.00 price target on the stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP grew its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 495.3% during the second quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 1,231,087 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $13,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024,302 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 93.9% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,037,293 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $10,850,000 after buying an additional 502,378 shares during the period. Fund 1 Investments LLC raised 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 worth $7,794,000 after buying an additional 491,184 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 197.4% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 680,391 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $7,008,000 after purchasing an additional 451,575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 59.0% during the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 571,296 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,976,000 after purchasing an additional 211,900 shares during the period. 81.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

El Pollo Loco Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LOCO traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $11.00. The company had a trading volume of 323,297 shares, compared to its average volume of 152,129. The firm has a market cap of $329.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $10.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.47. El Pollo Loco has a 52 week low of $8.29 and a 52 week high of $11.74.

About El Pollo Loco

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.