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

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) is expected to be releasing its Q2 2026 results after the market closes on Thursday, August 6th. Analysts expect the company to post earnings of $0.30 per share and revenue of $130.2940 million for the quarter. Parties may visit the the company’s upcoming Q2 2026 earning results page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, August 6, 2026 at 4:30 PM ET.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.06. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 5.87%.The firm had revenue of $126.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $122.02 million. 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 Price Performance

El Pollo Loco stock opened at $16.55 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $503.95 million, a P/E ratio of 16.89 and a beta of 0.78. El Pollo Loco has a one year low of $8.98 and a one year high of $17.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $15.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.61.

El Pollo Loco announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, May 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $40.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the restaurant operator to repurchase up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LOCO. Weiss Ratings raised El Pollo Loco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Freedom Capital raised El Pollo Loco to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Benchmark upped their price target on El Pollo Loco from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of El Pollo Loco from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $14.88.

Insider Activity at El Pollo Loco

In other news, major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 132,421 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.27, for a total value of $2,286,910.67. Following the transaction, the insider owned 3,644,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,948,787.33. This represents a 3.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 457,703 shares of company stock worth $7,722,138. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOCO. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 1,774 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco by 89.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,277 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,493 shares in the last quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the third quarter worth about $97,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco in the second quarter worth approximately $110,000. Institutional investors own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

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.