AlphaQuest LLC Buys 27,637 Shares of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO)

AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) by 17,165.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,798 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,637 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC owned about 0.09% of El Pollo Loco worth $321,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 167,003 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,288,000 after acquiring an additional 8,442 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its holdings in El Pollo Loco by 91.8% during the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 2,094 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002 shares during the last quarter. Biglari Sardar boosted its position in El Pollo Loco by 307.7% during the third quarter. Biglari Sardar now owns 489,247 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,703,000 after purchasing an additional 369,247 shares during the period. Centiva Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco in the third quarter worth about $153,000. Finally, Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 81.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LOCO opened at $10.08 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $11.51 and a 200 day moving average of $12.36. 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 $300.15 million, a P/E ratio of 12.76 and a beta of 1.50. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.17 and a 12 month high of $14.25.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.06. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 5.11% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The firm had revenue of $114.28 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.19 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.