Truist Financial Raises El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) Price Target to $13.00

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) had its price objective raised by research analysts at Truist Financial from $12.00 to $13.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Truist Financial’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 2.20% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of El Pollo Loco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of El Pollo Loco from $12.00 to $13.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of El Pollo Loco in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, DA Davidson set a $11.00 price objective on shares of El Pollo Loco in a research note on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, El Pollo Loco currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.88.

El Pollo Loco Stock Up 16.9%

Shares of NASDAQ LOCO opened at $12.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.41 and a quick ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $380.96 million, a PE ratio of 14.13 and a beta of 1.00. El Pollo Loco has a one year low of $8.29 and a one year high of $13.07. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $10.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.51.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.04. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 10.55% and a net margin of 5.40%.The company had revenue of $123.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $122.18 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that El Pollo Loco will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of El Pollo Loco

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LOCO. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 85.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,862 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 1,774 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco in the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in El Pollo Loco by 89.5% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,277 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,493 shares in the last quarter. EMC Capital Management purchased a new stake in El Pollo Loco in the second quarter valued at approximately $72,000. Finally, Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC bought a new stake in El Pollo Loco during the third quarter valued at approximately $97,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.28% of the company’s stock.

El Pollo Loco News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — LOCO reported $0.25 EPS vs. $0.21 consensus and revenue slightly above estimates; management emphasized improving margins and profitability. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Same-store sales growth of ~2.1% in Q4, signaling steady demand in existing restaurants — supports revenue momentum and franchise economics. OCBJ Article
• Positive Sentiment: Company guidance and commentary point to faster expansion and pipeline — targeting 18–20 new restaurants in 2026 and seeing strong demand in new markets, which implies growth leverage over time. MSN Expansion Article
• Positive Sentiment: Operational and culinary investments highlighted as paying off — improvements to menu and operations support same-store sales and margin expansion. Yahoo Finance Article
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Benchmark upgraded LOCO to Buy with a $14 target, signaling bullish broker sentiment and providing upside vs. recent levels. Benzinga Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist raised its price target to $13 but maintained a Hold rating — a modestly constructive move but not a directional endorsement. Benzinga Truist Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call transcript and analyst write-ups provide detail for investors to parse unit-level trends, margin drivers and capital allocation — useful for validating the sustainability of the beat. Earnings Call Transcript

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.