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 significant decline in short interest during 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 daily volume of 222,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 8.2 days. Approximately 7.2% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com upgraded El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Craig Hallum began coverage on El Pollo Loco in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $18.00 price target for the company.

El Pollo Loco Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LOCO traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $10.42. The company had a trading volume of 173,778 shares, compared to its average volume of 267,570. El Pollo Loco has a 1 year low of $8.17 and a 1 year high of $14.25. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market cap of $310.28 million, a P/E ratio of 13.19 and a beta of 1.50.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Biglari Sardar raised its position in El Pollo Loco by 307.7% during the 3rd quarter. Biglari Sardar now owns 489,247 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,703,000 after buying an additional 369,247 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management increased 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 worth $17,695,000 after acquiring an additional 266,908 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 332.2% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 289,739 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,344,000 after purchasing an additional 222,704 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in El Pollo Loco by 392.6% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 228,816 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,641,000 after purchasing an additional 182,366 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 54.0% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 453,422 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,232,000 after purchasing an additional 159,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

About El Pollo Loco

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.