Short Interest in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) Decreases By 16.5%

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,820,000 shares, a decline of 16.5% from the February 28th total of 2,180,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 222,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 8.2 days. Currently, 7.2% of the company’s shares are short sold.

El Pollo Loco Stock Performance

LOCO remained flat at $10.42 on Wednesday. 141,592 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 266,288. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.09. El Pollo Loco has a 12-month low of $8.17 and a 12-month high of $14.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market cap of $310.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.19 and a beta of 1.35.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $114.28 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 million. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.11% and a return on equity of 10.34%. On average, analysts predict that El Pollo Loco will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on LOCO shares. Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Monday, March 10th. Craig Hallum assumed coverage on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com cut El Pollo Loco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOCO. Biglari Sardar raised its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 307.7% in the 3rd quarter. Biglari Sardar now owns 489,247 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $6,703,000 after buying an additional 369,247 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 21.1% in the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,533,400 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $17,695,000 after purchasing an additional 266,908 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 332.2% in the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 289,739 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,344,000 after purchasing an additional 222,704 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in El Pollo Loco by 392.6% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 228,816 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,641,000 after buying an additional 182,366 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 54.0% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 453,422 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $5,232,000 after buying an additional 159,000 shares in the last quarter. 81.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

El Pollo Loco Company Profile

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiary, El Pollo Loco, Inc, develops, franchises, licenses, and operates quick-service restaurants under the El Pollo Loco name. It operates and franchises restaurants located in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Utah, and Louisiana. It also licenses its brand to restaurants in the Philippines.