El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Major Shareholder Sardar Biglari Sells 5,984 Shares of Company Stock

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 5,984 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total value of $98,736.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 3,494,252 shares in the company, valued at $57,655,158. The trade was a 0.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own 10% or more 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 Wednesday, November 4th, Sardar Biglari sold 13,169 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total transaction 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 transaction of $421,674.00.

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

Shares of El Pollo Loco stock traded down $1.58 during trading on Friday, reaching $14.88. 703,258 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 253,575. The company has a market capitalization of $452.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 0.41 and a quick ratio of 0.38. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $9.99 and a 52-week high of $17.40.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.24. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.87% and a net margin of 6.96%. The business had revenue of $126.31 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $127.03 million. Sell-side analysts expect that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines 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 Trading of El Pollo Loco

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Biglari Capital CORP. bought a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $64,064,704. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in El Pollo Loco during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,841,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in El Pollo Loco in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,550,000. Biglari Sardar bought a new position in El Pollo Loco in the 2nd quarter valued at $8,297,629. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the second quarter worth $4,187,000. Institutional investors own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on LOCO shares. DA Davidson upped their price target 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. 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. Roth Capital initiated coverage on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Friday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Benchmark upped their target price on shares of El Pollo Loco from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $17.30.

About El Pollo Loco

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.