El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Stock: Insider Sardar Biglari Sells 5,984 Shares

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 5,984 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total transaction of $98,736.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 3,494,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $57,655,158. This trade represents a 0.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Sardar Biglari also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, November 4th, Sardar Biglari sold 13,169 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total transaction of $217,288.50.
• On Friday, October 16th, Sardar Biglari sold 25,556 shares of El Pollo Loco stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total transaction of $421,674.00.

El Pollo Loco Stock Down 9.6%

El Pollo Loco stock opened at $14.88 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $452.84 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $15.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.19. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.99 and a 1-year high of $17.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.24. El Pollo Loco had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 10.51%. The company had revenue of $126.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $127.03 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on LOCO. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of El Pollo Loco from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Roth Capital started coverage on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Friday, October 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of El Pollo Loco from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $17.30.

Key El Pollo Loco News

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

• Positive Sentiment: System-wide same-store sales grew 5% in Q3, while digital sales accounted for 31% of system sales—signs of continued customer demand and digital-channel traction. El Pollo Loco: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Management plans to open 25–30 restaurants in 2027 and projects approximately 4.5% comparable-sales growth for 2026, indicating continued expansion and sales momentum. El Pollo Loco expansion and sales outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 adjusted earnings were $0.24 per share, matching analysts’ consensus. El Pollo Loco Q3 earnings match estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue was $126.31 million, slightly below the $127.03 million analyst estimate. EPS also fell from $0.27 in the year-ago quarter to $0.24, which may weigh on sentiment despite meeting expectations. El Pollo Loco Q3 earnings report

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOCO. Biglari Capital CORP. purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the second quarter valued at about $64,064,704. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in El Pollo Loco during the second quarter worth about $41,716,000. Tieton Capital Management LLC bought a new position in El Pollo Loco during the second quarter worth about $17,535,000. Biglari Sardar purchased a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco in the second quarter worth about $8,297,629. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 203.8% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 635,468 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $8,808,000 after purchasing an additional 426,320 shares in the last quarter. 81.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About El Pollo Loco

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: LOCO) operates and franchises quick-service restaurants specializing in Mexican-inspired food and citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken. Its menu includes chicken meals, burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salads, bowls and family meals, along with a variety of sides, beverages and desserts.

The company was founded in 1975 in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, and expanded into the United States in 1980 with its first restaurant in Los Angeles. El Pollo Loco primarily serves customers through restaurants in the western and southwestern United States, particularly in California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Texas.