El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) by 12.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 148,621 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 20,371 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.50% of El Pollo Loco worth $1,715,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the fourth quarter valued at $70,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position 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 valued at $124,000 after acquiring an additional 1,954 shares during the period. Olympiad Research LP purchased a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco in the 4th quarter valued at about $130,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in El Pollo Loco in the 4th quarter worth about $156,000. Finally, Bailard Inc. purchased a new position in El Pollo Loco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $252,000. 81.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Benchmark restated a “hold” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research report on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of El Pollo Loco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Craig Hallum initiated coverage on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock.

El Pollo Loco Price Performance

Shares of El Pollo Loco stock opened at $9.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.29. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $284.64 million, a P/E ratio of 11.99 and a beta of 1.35. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.20 and a 12 month high of $14.25.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.06. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 5.11%. The firm had revenue of $114.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 million. As a group, analysts predict 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.