Market Cap
$436.7M
LOCO
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.
$14.22 ▲ +0.21%
Prev close $14.19Market cap$436.7M
ConsensusBuy
12-mo target$20.30 (+42.8%)
▲ Bullish
Analyst conviction 8/10
25 New Institutional Positions10 Institutional Exits Consumer & Retail
Snapshot
The big-picture read on LOCO right now — valuation, ownership and activity at a glance.
Cap Size
Small Cap
Analyst Consensus
Strong Buy (75%)
Inst. Holders
50 funds
Inst. Value
$299.7M
Inst. Activity
25 buys / 10 sells
Insider Activity
$0.00 buy / $8.7M sell
Insider Net $
-$8.7M
Social Sentiment
67° Warm
SEC Reports
3
Price chart 30d -5.2%
Daily candles (open–high–low–close) with volume. Green = up day, red = down day.
No data for this timeframe.
Vol
Recent activity
The latest filings, insider trades, analyst actions, press and options flow — newest first.
Sep 29, 2026 other
El Pollo Loco Announces New York Expansion and Strengthens Leadership Team to Accelerate Growth
El Pollo Loco Announces New York Expansion and Strengthens Leadership Team to Accelerate Growth
Aug 23, 2026 Insider
Fils Ira surrendered for taxes 7,213 shares
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER @ $16.03 ($115.6K)
Aug 7, 2026 Insider
BIGLARI, SARDAR sold 550 shares
10%+ Owner @ $17.06 ($9.4K)
Aug 5, 2026 Insider
BIGLARI, SARDAR sold 40,000 shares
10%+ Owner @ $16.90 ($676.0K)
Jun 30, 2026 Inst.
First Eagle Investment Management, — ADD
995,799 shares ($16.9M)
Jun 30, 2026 Inst.
Jun 26, 2026 SEC GEODE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC — ADD
887,623 shares ($15.1M)
LION FUND II, L.P., a 10% stockholder, has filed a Form 144 notice of intent to sell 1,471,350 shares of El Pollo Loco H
144 — Impact 5/10
Four institutional buyers (Two Sigma doubling its position, Morgan Stanley adding 56%, and two smaller adders) accumulat
INST-CLUSTER — Impact 3/10
Analyst ratings buy % +17.2%
How Wall Street rates the stock today, and the latest firm-by-firm actions.
75% rate it Buy or better · 12 analysts
Recent analyst actions
| Date | Firm | Action | Rating | Firm rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2026 | DA Davidson | MAINTAIN | Neutral | 53% |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Benchmark | MAINTAIN | Buy | 54% |
| Jul 1, 2026 | Freedom Capital Markets | INITIATE | Buy | 46% |
| May 11, 2026 | DA Davidson | MAINTAIN | Neutral | 53% |
| May 8, 2026 | Benchmark | MAINTAIN | Buy | 54% |
| Apr 20, 2026 | Benchmark | MAINTAIN | Buy | 54% |
Monthly consensus history
| Period | Str. Buy | Buy | Hold | Sell | Str. Sell | Buy % | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 75% | |
| Aug 1, 2026 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 75% | |
| Jul 1, 2026 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 75% | |
| Jun 1, 2026 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 73% | |
| May 1, 2026 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 73% | |
| Apr 1, 2026 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 73% | |
| Mar 1, 2026 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 64% | |
| Feb 1, 2026 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 64% |
Price targets
Where 5 covering analysts think LOCO trades over the next 12 months.
$20.30 +42.8% upside Strong Buy
Current$14.22 Low$17.00 Median$21.00 High$22.50 5 analysts
$17.00$22.50
Analyst rating None as of Oct 2, 2026
Social media sentiment mood +0.0%
Retail-investor mood aggregated across social media. 0° = very bearish, 100° = very bullish.
67°
Warm
BearishNeutralBullish
Recent posts
Reports & filings
AI-scored summaries of recent SEC filings and press releases, with sentiment and impact.
3 SEC filing reports analyzed · 0 bullish, 1 bearish, 1 mixed, 1 neutral · avg impact 3.3/10.
BEARISH1445/10
LION FUND II, L.P., a 10% stockholder, has filed a Form 144 notice of intent to sell 1,471,350 share
Jun 26, 2026
MIXEDINST-CLUSTER3/10
Four institutional buyers (Two Sigma doubling its position, Morgan Stanley adding 56%, and two small
Jun 11, 2026
NEUTRAL1442/10
Mark Buller, a director of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc., filed a Form 144 indicating an intent to se
Apr 1, 2026
Upcoming & catalyst events
Scheduled dates plus disclosed catalysts — earnings, dividends, enforcement, FDA and clinical-trial events. Colored dot = impact.
Sep 29, 2026
other
El Pollo Loco Announces New York Expansion and Strengthens Leadership Team to Accelerate Growth
El Pollo Loco Announces New York Expansion and Strengthens Leadership Team to Accelerate Growth
Sep 17, 2026
other
El Pollo Loco® Showcases Fall Flavors in Latest Menu Items
Caramel Apple ChataCoffee™, Pumpkin Pie Mini Churros and Red & Green Chile Cheesy Enchilada Double Chicken Bowls all available for a limited time Cara
Sep 4, 2026
other
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. to Participate in Two Investor Conferences in September
COSTA MESA, Calif., Sept. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (“El Pollo Loco”) (NASDAQ: LOCO) today announced that it will part
Aug 26, 2026
other
El Pollo Loco® Declares September 9 National Grilled Chicken Day
The fire-grilled chicken authority champions new holiday with month-long celebration of the much-loved protein The fire-grilled chicken authority cham
Aug 6, 2026
earnings_calendar
LOCO Q2 2026 Earnings Scheduled — 2026-08-06
Earnings estimates
Forecast earnings per share and revenue by period — and whether estimates are rising.
| Period | EPS Est. | Range | Growth | 30d Rev | Up/Dn | Revenue | # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Q | $0.24 | $0.22–$0.26 | -11.7% | +0.0% | 2↑ 2↓ | $0.1B | 6 |
| Next Q | $0.17 | $0.15–$0.19 | -30.0% | +0.0% | 2↑ 3↓ | $0.1B | 6 |
| Current FY | $1.03 | $0.95–$1.18 | 4.8% | +5.5% | 4↑ 0↓ | $0.5B | 6 |
| Next FY | $1.11 | $1.03–$1.15 | 7.8% | +2.5% | 3↑ 0↓ | $0.5B | 6 |
Current-quarter EPS estimate — revision history
| When | EPS estimate | Change vs now |
|---|---|---|
| Current | $0.238 | — |
| 7d ago | $0.242 | -0.003 |
| 30d ago | $0.238 | — |
| 60d ago | $0.238 | +0.000 |
| 90d ago | $0.238 | +0.000 |
Institutional ownership
Which big funds own LOCO (from quarterly 13F filings) and who is adding or trimming.
50 institutional holders with $299.7M total value (17,670,339 shares) as of 2026-Q2. Top holders: BlackRock,, DIMENSIONAL, GOLDMAN. Net buying activity: 25 institutions added/increased vs 10 reduced.
Top holders — 2026-Q2
| Fund | Shares | Value | % Tracked | Last move |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BlackRock, Inc. | 2,459,692 | $41.7M | 13.9% | — |
| DIMENSIONAL FUND ADVISORS LP | 2,049,479 | $34.8M | 11.6% | — |
| GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC | 1,256,043 | $21.3M | 7.1% | — |
| VANGUARD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC | 1,108,984 | $18.8M | 6.3% | — |
| First Eagle Investment Management, LLC | 995,799 | $16.9M | 5.6% | ADD +73.1% |
| TWO SIGMA INVESTMENTS, LP | 906,685 | $15.4M | 5.1% | — |
| GEODE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC | 887,623 | $15.1M | 5.0% | ADD +32.9% |
| ARROWSTREET CAPITAL, LIMITED PARTNERSHIP | 729,890 | $12.4M | 4.1% | ADD +31.5% |
| STATE STREET CORP | 628,223 | $10.7M | 3.6% | — |
| PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL INC | 449,926 | $7.6M | 2.5% | — |
Recent position changes
| Fund | Action | Prev | Current | Change | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Eagle Investment Management, LLC | ADD | 575,293 | 995,799 | +73.1% | $16.9M |
| GEODE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC | ADD | 667,716 | 887,623 | +32.9% | $15.1M |
| ARROWSTREET CAPITAL, LIMITED PARTNERSHIP | ADD | 555,084 | 729,890 | +31.5% | $12.4M |
| RENAISSANCE TECHNOLOGIES LLC | ADD | 306,200 | 418,400 | +36.6% | $7.1M |
| HOTCHKIS & WILEY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC | TRIM | 525,463 | 371,373 | -29.3% | $6.3M |
| UBS Group AG | DOUBLED | 52,155 | 336,592 | +545.4% | $5.7M |
| MORGAN STANLEY | ADD | 182,705 | 316,183 | +73.1% | $5.4M |
| Assenagon Asset Management S.A. | ADD | 152,767 | 301,505 | +97.4% | $5.1M |
| SEI INVESTMENTS CO | TRIM | 635,468 | 296,440 | -53.4% | $5.0M |
| D. E. Shaw & Co., Inc. | ADD | 206,841 | 287,556 | +39.0% | $4.9M |
Insider activity
Buying and selling by company executives and directors (SEC Form 4).
10 insiders, 33 transactions. Net -$8.7M — $0.00 bought, $8.7M sold.
| Date | Insider | Title | Type | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 2026 | Fils Ira | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | TAX W/H | 7,213 | $16.03 | $115.6K |
| Aug 7, 2026 | BIGLARI, SARDAR | 10%+ Owner | SELL | 550 | $17.06 | $9.4K |
| Aug 5, 2026 | BIGLARI, SARDAR | 10%+ Owner | SELL | 40,000 | $16.90 | $676.0K |
| Aug 3, 2026 | BIGLARI, SARDAR | 10%+ Owner | SELL | 10,000 | $16.73 | $167.3K |
| Jul 30, 2026 | BIGLARI, SARDAR | 10%+ Owner | SELL | 273 | $16.70 | $4.6K |
| Jul 29, 2026 | BIGLARI, SARDAR | 10%+ Owner | SELL | 3,305 | $16.71 | $55.2K |
| Jul 29, 2026 | BIGLARI, SARDAR | 10%+ Owner | SELL | 3,306 | $16.71 | $55.2K |
| Jul 17, 2026 | BIGLARI, SARDAR | 10%+ Owner | SELL | 11,000 | $16.71 | $183.8K |
| Jul 16, 2026 | BIGLARI, SARDAR | 10%+ Owner | SELL | 2,749 | $16.70 | $45.9K |
| Jul 15, 2026 | BIGLARI, SARDAR | 10%+ Owner | SELL | 6,533 | $16.71 | $109.2K |
Short interest & halts
FINRA semi-monthly short positions, Reg SHO threshold status, and recent trading halts for LOCO.
Shares short
1,894,075
Settlement Sep 15, 2026
Change vs prior
+2.1%
Semi-monthly cycle
Days to cover
9.7
At avg daily volume
Of shares outstanding
≈6.2%
Estimate — not % of float
All LOCO filing & press-release reports (3)
- 144 reportJun 26, 2026
- INST-CLUSTER reportJun 11, 2026
- 144 reportApr 1, 2026