El Pollo Loco (LOCO) Projected to Announce Earnings on Thursday

05 Aug 2026, 01:26 by Jessica Moore · The Cerbat Gem

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO – Get Free Report) is anticipated to announce its Q2 2026 results after the market closes on Thursday, August 6th. Analysts expect El Pollo Loco to announce earnings of $0.30 per share and revenue of $130.2940 million for the quarter. Individuals may visit the the company’s upcoming Q2 2026 earning report for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, August 6, 2026 at 4:30 PM ET.

El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $126.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $122.02 million. El Pollo Loco had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 5.87%. On average, analysts expect El Pollo Loco to post $1 EPS for the current fiscal year and $1 EPS for the next fiscal year.

El Pollo Loco Stock Performance

Shares of LOCO stock opened at $16.52 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $503.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.86 and a beta of 0.78. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $15.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.65. El Pollo Loco has a 12-month low of $8.98 and a 12-month high of $17.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

El Pollo Loco announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, May 28th that allows the company to repurchase $40.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the restaurant operator to repurchase up to 9.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at El Pollo Loco

In related news, major shareholder Sardar Biglari sold 6,611 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.71, for a total value of $110,469.81. Following the sale, the insider owned 116,695 shares in the company, valued at $1,949,973.45. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 457,703 shares of company stock worth $7,722,138. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On El Pollo Loco

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in El Pollo Loco by 4.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 287,143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,958,000 after purchasing an additional 13,095 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 197.4% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 680,391 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $7,008,000 after buying an additional 451,575 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of El Pollo Loco by 7.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 188,519 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,942,000 after buying an additional 12,964 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 1st quarter worth $221,000. Finally, Creative Planning acquired a new position in shares of El Pollo Loco during the 2nd quarter worth $240,000. 81.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings raised El Pollo Loco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of El Pollo Loco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of El Pollo Loco from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Benchmark increased their price target on shares of El Pollo Loco from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, El Pollo Loco currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $14.88.

View Our Latest Stock Report on LOCO

About El Pollo Loco

(Get Free Report)

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.