El Pollo Loco (LOCO) Projected to Post Earnings on Thursday

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) will likely be posting its Q1 2026 results after the market closes on Thursday, May 7th. Analysts expect El Pollo Loco to post earnings of $0.22 per share and revenue of $122.0180 million for the quarter. Individuals may visit the the company’s upcoming Q1 2026 earning results page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 4:30 PM ET.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $123.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $122.18 million. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.40% and a return on equity of 10.39%. On average, analysts expect El Pollo Loco to post $1 EPS for the current fiscal year and $1 EPS for the next fiscal year.

El Pollo Loco Stock Down 0.5%

El Pollo Loco stock opened at $13.00 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $13.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.45. El Pollo Loco has a twelve month low of $8.79 and a twelve month high of $14.50. The firm has a market cap of $389.43 million, a PE ratio of 14.44 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.32.

Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in El Pollo Loco by 4.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 287,143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,958,000 after acquiring an additional 13,095 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its position 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 worth $7,008,000 after acquiring an additional 451,575 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in El Pollo Loco by 7.4% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 188,519 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,942,000 after acquiring an additional 12,964 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the first quarter worth $221,000. Finally, Creative Planning bought a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the second quarter worth $240,000. Institutional investors own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. DA Davidson set a $11.00 price target on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Friday, March 13th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, El Pollo Loco presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.38.

El Pollo Loco Company Profile

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.