El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Given New $13.00 Price Target at Truist Financial

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) had its price objective boosted by stock analysts at Truist Financial from $12.00 to $13.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Truist Financial’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 1.55% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. DA Davidson set a $11.00 target price on El Pollo Loco in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Benchmark upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, El Pollo Loco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.88.

El Pollo Loco Stock Up 17.7%

Shares of LOCO stock traded up $1.92 on Friday, hitting $12.80. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,279,560 shares, compared to its average volume of 224,810. The stock has a market capitalization of $383.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.56 and a beta of 1.00. El Pollo Loco has a fifty-two week low of $8.29 and a fifty-two week high of $13.07. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $10.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.41 and a quick ratio of 0.38.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.04. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.15% and a net margin of 5.39%.The company had revenue of $123.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $122.18 million. Research analysts anticipate that El Pollo Loco will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LOCO. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 85.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,862 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,774 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 89.5% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,277 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,493 shares in the last quarter. EMC Capital Management bought a new position in El Pollo Loco in the 2nd quarter valued at $72,000. Finally, Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC acquired a new position in El Pollo Loco in the third quarter worth $97,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

More El Pollo Loco News

Here are the key news stories impacting El Pollo Loco this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus: LOCO reported $0.25 EPS vs. consensus $0.21 and revenue of $123.5M vs. $122.2M, signaling modest but tangible upside to estimates. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Same-store sales improvement: Management reported +2.1% same-store sales in Q4, indicating recovering traffic and pricing execution. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Franchise expansion accelerating: Company plans 18–20 net new restaurants in 2026 and says demand in new markets supports faster buildout — a growth driver for revenue and franchising royalties. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Culinary and ops investments showing returns: Company commentary and coverage note that menu innovation and operational changes are improving guest demand and unit economics. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Benchmark raised LOCO from Hold to Buy with a $14 price target, providing a broker-driven catalyst and signaling confidence in the turnaround. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and transcript available — provide detail on margin drivers, labor/food costs and unit-level performance; useful for modeling near-term margins. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional media snapshots and analyst write-ups summarize the quarter and compare metrics to estimates — helpful context but largely reiterative of results. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Balance-sheet / liquidity caution: While debt is low, reported current and quick ratios remain weak, highlighting limited near-term liquidity headroom if sales slow or cost inflation resumes. (See company release for full financials.) Read More.

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.