Prudential Financial Inc. Has $3.34 Million Stake in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO)

Prudential Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) by 332.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 289,739 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 222,704 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. owned 0.97% of El Pollo Loco worth $3,344,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in El Pollo Loco by 54.0% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 453,422 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $5,232,000 after purchasing an additional 159,000 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,142,000. Monimus Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 4th quarter worth approximately $935,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of El Pollo Loco by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 411,298 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,635,000 after acquiring an additional 75,542 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 372.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 70,409 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $951,000 after acquiring an additional 55,510 shares during the period. 81.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

El Pollo Loco stock opened at $10.42 on Thursday. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average price is $11.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $310.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.19 and a beta of 1.35. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $8.17 and a 1-year 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $114.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 million. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 5.11%. On average, equities research analysts predict that El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share 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.