El Pollo Loco Holdings Inc LOCO

Consumer DiscretionaryHotels & Entertainment ServicesUnited States of America

Last close 15.57 USD on Nov 2, 2026, +48.9% year to date

Quant rating

Quant rating B Rank 129 of 344 in Consumer Discretionary

Growth D 242 of 344
Valuation A 31 of 344
Quality C 172 of 344
Revisions D 246 of 344
Momentum B 88 of 344

Wall Street consensus Buy (2.14)Average target 20.58 USD +32.2%

Historical valuation

Multiples use consensus estimates for the next twelve months. The dashed line is the 5-year average.

Key data

Market cap: 474M
Enterprise value: 492M
52-week range: 9.84 – 17.40
3-year range: 8.22 – 17.40
Dividend yield: –
Beta (5 years): 0.83
Shares outstanding: 30.4M
Next earnings: Nov 5, 2026

About the company

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. specializes in fire-grilling citrus-marinated chicken and operates in the limited-service restaurant (LSR) segment. The Company offers food that integrates the culinary traditions of Mexico with the lifestyle of Los Angeles. Its menu features its signature product, citrus-marinated fire-grilled chicken, as well as a variety of Mexican and Los Angeles (LA)-inspired entrees creates from its chicken. It serves individual and family-sized chicken meals, a variety of Mexican and Los Angeles (LA)-inspired entrees and sides, on a limited-time basis, and additional proteins like beef and shrimp. Its entrees include Chicken Avocado Burrito, Pollo Fit entrees, chicken tostada salads and Pollo Bowls. Its Creamy Cilantro dressings and salsas are prepared fresh daily, allowing its customers to create their favorite flavor profiles to enhance their culinary experience. It operates over 498 restaurants, which consist of 173 Company-operated and 325 franchised restaurants.

Growth and profitability fiscal year ends December 31

Growth and profitability by fiscal year
	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	5Y avg
Revenue (mil)	490	473	469	470	454	–
Revenue growth	3.6%	0.9%	−0.3%	3.4%	6.6%	2.8%
EPS (basic, normalized)	0.98	0.89	0.71	0.58	0.87	–
EPS growth	10.1%	25.4%	22.4%	−33.3%	–	–
Gross margin	53.6%	51.8%	49.8%	47.1%	50.5%	50.6%
Net margin	5.4%	5.4%	5.5%	4.4%	6.4%	5.4%
ROE	9.6%	10.0%	9.6%	7.0%	9.9%	9.2%

Balance sheet, last quarter
Cash & short-term investments (mil)	13.3
Current ratio	0.41x
Long-term debt (mil)	31.3
Net debt (mil)	18.2
Total equity (mil)	317
Net debt / equity	0.06x
Net debt / EBITDA	0.27x

Estimates and valuation

Consensus estimates and implied multiples
	Sales (mil)			EBITDA (mil)			EPS
Fiscal year	Mean est.	Growth	EV/Sales	Mean est.	Growth	EV/EBITDA	Mean est.	Growth	P/E
2025 actual	490	+3.6%	1.0x	66.7	+13.2%	7.4x	0.98	+10.1%	15.9x
2026	504	+2.9%	1.0x	69.8	+4.7%	7.0x	1.03	+5.1%	15.1x
2027	525	+4.2%	0.9x	76.7	+9.9%	6.4x	1.10	+6.6%	14.2x
2028	557	+6.0%	0.9x	82.5	+7.5%	6.0x	–	–	–

Estimate revisions

Change in consensus estimates over 1, 3 and 6 months
	Sales				EPS
Fiscal year	Estimate (mil)	1M	3M	6M	Estimate	1M	3M	6M
2026	504	−0.1%	0.0%	+1.3%	1.03	0.0%	+5.6%	+6.1%
2027	525	+0.1%	+0.2%	+1.5%	1.10	0.0%	+1.6%	−0.5%
2028	557	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

Earnings surprises EPS beat in 4 of the last 4 quarters

Reported results versus consensus, last 10 fiscal quarters
Quarter ended	Mar 2024	Jun 2024	Sep 2024	Dec 2024	Mar 2025	Jun 2025	Sep 2025	Dec 2025	Mar 2026	Jun 2026
Sales reported (mil)	116	122	120	114	119	126	122	124	126	130
Sales mean (mil)	111	120	121	113	118	124	123	123	122	130
Surprise	+4.6%	+1.5%	−0.5%	+1.0%	+0.8%	+1.3%	−1.5%	+0.8%	+3.4%	−0.6%
EPS reported	0.22	0.26	0.21	0.20	0.19	0.28	0.27	0.25	0.28	0.30
EPS mean	0.14	0.21	0.17	0.14	0.20	0.24	0.21	0.20	0.22	0.28
Surprise	+57.1%	+25.3%	+25.4%	+48.1%	−7.3%	+15.5%	+26.2%	+27.6%	+30.1%	+7.8%

Peer comparison Hotels & Entertainment Services

Peers in the same industry group, by market capitalization
Company	Market cap	Net debt/EBITDA	Net margin	P/B	FY1 P/E	FY2 P/E	FY1 EV/EBITDA	FY2 EV/EBITDA
LOCO El Pollo Loco Holdings Inc	474M	0.27x	5.4%	1.49x	15.1x	14.2x	7.0x	6.4x
SBUX Starbucks Corp	119.0B	1.58x	5.0%	−15.51x	32.8x	28.0x	19.2x	17.4x
CMG Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.	41.6B	−0.39x	12.9%	16.96x	30.1x	24.8x	18.2x	15.7x
DRI Darden Restaurants Inc	25.2B	1.92x	9.2%	12.21x	19.8x	18.0x	12.9x	12.1x
TXRH Texas Roadhouse Inc	12.3B	−0.19x	6.9%	7.88x	28.8x	24.3x	16.4x	14.3x
EAT Brinker International Inc	8.8B	0.54x	8.4%	22.20x	15.5x	14.2x	9.5x	9.2x
Mean		0.62x	8.0%	7.54x	23.7x	20.6x	13.9x	12.5x
Median		0.40x	7.6%	10.04x	24.3x	21.1x	14.6x	13.2x

Technical analysis

1M+9.5%
3M−5.4%
1Y+52.3%
3Y+78.8%

Financial statements in millions of USD

Income statement in millions of USD, fiscal years

Income statement, El Pollo Loco Holdings Inc, fiscal years, most recent first
	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
Total revenue	490	473	469	470	454	426
Cost of revenue	227	228	235	249	225	213
Gross profit	263	245	233	221	230	213
Selling, general & administrative expenses	204	188	182	176	170	157
Research & development	–	–	–	–	–	–
Depreciation/amortization	16.0	15.7	15.2	14.4	15.2	16.9
Interest expense (income), operating	–	–	–	–	–	–
Unusual expense (income)	0.4	0.7	−3.4	0.4	3.2	5.5
Other operating expenses	0	0	0	0	0	0
Operating income	42.0	41.2	39.8	30.1	41.3	33.6
Net interest income (expense)	−4.5	−5.9	−4.8	−1.7	−1.8	−3.3
Gain (loss) on sale of assets	–	–	–	–	–	–
Other non-operating income (expense)	0	0	−0.1	0.4	−0.1	−0.1
Net income before taxes	37.6	35.3	34.9	28.9	39.5	30.1
Provision for taxes	11.1	9.6	9.3	8.1	10.3	5.7
Minority interest	–	–	–	–	–	–
Equity in affiliates	–	–	–	–	–	–
U.S. GAAP adjustment	–	–	–	–	–	–
Net income before extraordinary items	26.5	25.7	25.6	20.8	29.1	24.5
Extraordinary items	–	–	–	–	–	–
Net income	26.5	25.7	25.6	20.8	29.1	24.5
EBIT, normalized	45.1	43.1	38.0	34.3	48.9	44.5
EBITDA, normalized	61.1	58.8	53.3	48.7	64.1	61.4
Basic EPS, normalized	0.98	0.89	0.71	0.58	0.87	–

Balance sheet in millions of USD, fiscal years

Balance sheet, El Pollo Loco Holdings Inc, fiscal years, most recent first
	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
Assets
Cash & short-term investments	6.2	2.5	7.3	20.5	30.0	13.2
Receivables	11.2	10.0	10.3	10.9	13.4	12.5
Total inventory	1.8	1.9	1.9	2.4	2.3	2.1
Prepaid expenses	6.4	5.5	5.6	3.7	3.7	3.9
Other current assets	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total current assets	25.6	19.9	25.1	37.4	49.5	31.7
Property, plant & equipment	266	258	254	246	249	258
Goodwill	249	249	249	249	249	249
Intangibles	61.9	61.9	61.9	61.9	61.9	61.9
Long-term investments	–	–	–	–	–	–
Note receivable	–	–	–	–	–	–
Other long-term assets	4.2	3.4	3.0	3.4	4.4	4.6
Total assets	607	592	592	597	614	605
Liabilities
Accounts payable	15.7	12.1	12.5	12.7	10.6	7.5
Payable/accrued	–	–	–	–	–	–
Accrued expenses	57.7	58.9	56.2	53.5	57.8	52.4
Short-term debt	0	0	0	0	0	0
Current portion of long-term debt	0.1	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1
Other current liabilities	5.6	4.5	3.7	2.2	6.0	6.5
Total current liabilities	79.1	75.7	72.6	68.5	74.6	66.4
Long-term debt	52.4	72.6	85.6	67.6	41.7	64.5
Minority interest	–	–	–	–	–	–
Other liabilities	184	183	183	180	187	197
Total liabilities	316	331	342	316	303	328
Shareholders' equity
Preferred stock	–	0	0	0	0	0
Common stock	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.4
Additional paid-in capital	247	241	236	292	343	340
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)	43.6	18.9	14.0	−11.6	−32.4	−61.5
Treasury stock	–	–	–	–	–	–
Other equity	0	0	0	0.1	−0.3	−0.8
Total equity	291	261	251	281	311	278
Total liabilities & shareholders' equity	607	592	592	597	614	605

Cash flow statement in millions of USD, fiscal years

Cash flow statement, El Pollo Loco Holdings Inc, fiscal years, most recent first
	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
Operating activities
Net income	26.5	25.7	25.6	20.8	29.1	24.5
Depreciation, depletion & amortization	16.0	15.7	15.2	14.4	15.2	16.9
Deferred taxes	1.4	−2.9	0.9	4.6	1.0	4.0
Non-cash items	5.9	4.4	0	3.2	6.1	7.4
Changes in working capital	−1.6	3.8	−1.0	−4.5	0.8	−12.2
Cash from operations	48.1	46.8	40.7	38.5	52.1	40.5
Investing activities
Capital expenditures	−22.6	−19.1	−21.3	−19.9	−17.0	−6.7
Other investing cash flows	0	0.1	7.9	1.0	4.6	0
Cash from investing	−22.6	−18.9	−13.4	−18.9	−12.5	−6.7
Financing activities
Financing cash flow items	−0.7	−0.4	−0.2	−1.2	−0.7	−0.3
Cash dividends paid	–	–	–	−55.6	–	–
Issuance (retirement) of debt, net	–	–	–	–	–	–
Other financing cash flows	−21.0	−32.2	−40.2	27.6	−22.1	−28.4
Cash from financing	−21.7	−32.6	−40.4	−29.2	−22.8	−28.7
Foreign exchange effects	–	–	–	–	–	–
Net change in cash	3.7	−4.8	−13.2	−9.6	16.8	5.1
Free cash flow	25.4	27.7	19.4	18.6	35.1	33.9

Disclaimer

The financial data presented in this report is delayed and obtained from sources QDD Research believes to be reliable, including stock exchanges, SEDAR, and EDGAR. However, no representation or warranty is made as to the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the information. QDD Research accepts no liability for any errors, omissions, or financial losses arising from the use of this data.

This report is generated using a fully systematic and quantitative approach. All factor scores and the overall quant rating (ranging from D to A+) are derived from algorithmic models and are based solely on objective financial metrics. These scores are intended for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any securities.

QDD Research is not a registered investment advisor or broker-dealer and does not provide personalized financial advice. The content is not tailored to the specific investment goals, financial situation, or risk profile of any individual investor. We strongly encourage readers to consult with a licensed broker or investment advisor before making any investment decisions based on the information contained in this report.

Live quote provided by TradingView. Report data updated Nov 2, 2026 after market close.