El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO)

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) stock has been impacted by its earnings reports and broader sector sentiment in the past six months. On October 30, 2025, the company announced its Third Quarter 2025 financial results, reporting adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.27, beating the consensus estimate of $0.23, but its quarterly revenue of $121.5 million fell short of analysts' expectations of $124 million, leading to a moderate negative market reaction. The company is scheduled to report its Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 results on March 6, 2025, with analysts anticipating a decrease in Q4 earnings per share compared to the previous year, with a slight increase in quarterly revenues. In early January 2026, some restaurant stocks, including El Pollo Loco, saw a jump in value after analysts highlighted a potential recovery for the sector in 2026, following a challenging 2025.

El Pollo Loco experiences demand seasonality in its products and services. The company's revenue per restaurant is typically lower during the first and fourth quarters of the year, primarily due to reduced transactions in January and December. Demand tends to be higher in the second and third quarters, which can lead to fluctuations in quarterly and annual results, including company-operated restaurant revenue and comparable restaurant sales.

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. operates in the Consumer Discretionary sector, specifically in the Restaurants industry, developing, franchising, licensing, and operating quick-service restaurants under the "El Pollo Loco" brand. Its signature product is citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken, which serves as the foundation for a diverse menu of Mexican-inspired entrees, including individual and family-sized chicken meals, tacos, burritos, tostada salads, Pollo Bowls, Chicken Avocado Burritos, and Double Chicken Avocado Salads, and limited-time offerings.

El Pollo Loco operates approximately 495 to 498 company-owned and franchised restaurants across seven U.S. states: California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Utah, and Louisiana, with a strong concentration in California and the Southwest. The company is actively pursuing expansion into new and emerging markets, with planned openings targeting areas like Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Boise, El Paso, Kansas City, and Seattle-Tacoma. Additionally, the company has a limited international presence with licensed restaurant locations in the Philippines.

El Pollo Loco is actively engaged in a three-year brand turnaround strategy, which commenced in March 2024 under the leadership of CEO Liz Williams. As part of this initiative, the company launched a comprehensive brand refresh on May 15, 2025, including a new tagline, updated digital and in-store consumer touchpoints, and an advertising campaign emphasizing its fire-grilled chicken. The company also unveiled a new "Iconic" restaurant prototype in October 2024, featuring a modern and efficient design. El Pollo Loco was recently voted the #1 "Best Restaurant for Quick, Healthy Food" in USA TODAY's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards.

The ownership structure of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. is heavily concentrated among institutional investors, who collectively hold approximately 83.47% to 84.74% of the company's shares. Insider ownership is also notable, with figures ranging from 64.74% to 155.62%. Key institutional owners include Trimaran Capital LLC, Biglari Capital LLC, BlackRock Advisors LLC, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, and The Vanguard Group, Inc. Trimaran Capital LLC is identified as the largest individual shareholder.