Boston Partners Trims Stake in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO)

Boston Partners lessened its position in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) by 59.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,939 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 25,962 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned 0.06% of El Pollo Loco worth $207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 91.8% in the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 2,094 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 1,002 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,713 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $124,000 after acquiring an additional 1,954 shares during the last quarter. Olympiad Research LP purchased a new position in El Pollo Loco during the 4th quarter valued at $130,000. Finally, Centiva Capital LP bought a new position in El Pollo Loco in the 3rd quarter valued at $153,000. 81.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

LOCO opened at $10.22 on Monday. 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 business’s fifty day simple moving average is $11.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.22. The company has a market capitalization of $304.32 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.94 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 posted its 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 business had revenue of $114.28 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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