Fact based stock research
El Pollo Loco (NasdaqGS:LOCO)

US2686031079

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

El Pollo Loco stock research in summary

elpolloloco.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 51 (better than 51% compared with investment alternatives), El Pollo Loco (Restaurants, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of El Pollo Loco are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 53 (better than 53% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 83, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 15). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 51, is a buy recommendation based on El Pollo Loco's financial characteristics. As the company El Pollo Loco's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 53) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 15) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 83), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 53% of comparable companies, may also indicate that the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	53
Growth Rank	15
Safety Rank	83
Combined Rank	51

Country	USA
Industry	Restaurants
Index	NASDAQ
Size class	Small

31-Jul-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: El Pollo Loco

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	79	67	51	53
GROWTH
GROWTH	9	13	61	15
SAFETY
SAFETY	88	81	91	83
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	48	67	58	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	63	62	84	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 31-Jul-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 26-Mar-2025. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better El Pollo Loco is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	79	67	51	53
GROWTH
GROWTH	9	13	61	15
SAFETY
SAFETY	88	81	91	83
COMBINED
COMBINED	60	55	86	51

Last update of combined financial performance: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of El Pollo Loco the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 53 (better than 53% compared with alternatives), El Pollo Loco shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for El Pollo Loco. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 68, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 68% of comparable companies, indicating a good value regarding El Pollo Loco's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price to Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 72% of alternatives, and it's also true for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 60. But, compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields are expected to be lower than average; only 1% of all competitors have even lower dividend yields than El Pollo Loco (a Dividend Yield Rank of 1). 99% alternative investments in the same business provide a higher dividend yield. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 53, is a buy recommendation based on El Pollo Loco's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. The below-average dividend yield may be a good sign, as it could mean the company has more attractive investment opportunities for the generated cash than to pay it out as dividends. A low dividend yield can also indicate a growth phase. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	75	73	66	68
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	80	81	75	72
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	70	62	62	60
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	1	1	1	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	79	67	51	53

Last update of Value Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of El Pollo Loco; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 15 (better than 15% compared with alternatives), El Pollo Loco shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four metrics below average for El Pollo Loco. Sales Growth has a rank of 10, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 90% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth, with a rank of 32, and Capital Growth with 39. In addition, Stock Returns have a below market rank of 37, which means that the stock returns have recently been below 63% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 15, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. These are all bad growth momentum indicators. These are negative signals for investors interested in growth companies. Value is likely good for this company, as investors may have left this stock in the cold. If that is the case, investors should look at the company's outlook, especially Sentiment performance, because it may be a turnaround situation that could entail above-average stock returns in the future. But it remains a risky bet, as no growth signals are in the green zone yet. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is low here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	11	20	50	10
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	22	53	50	32
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	38	41	33	39
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	17	17	87	37
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	9	13	61	15

Last update of Growth Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of El Pollo Loco.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 83 (better than 83% compared with alternatives) for 2025, the company El Pollo Loco has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of El Pollo Loco is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for El Pollo Loco. Leverage is at a rank of 86, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 86% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 88, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 88% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 26, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 74% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 83 (better than 83% compared with alternatives), El Pollo Loco has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for El Pollo Loco. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with El Pollo Loco and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	90	80	83	86
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	26	26	32	26
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	98	94	91	88
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	88	81	91	83

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of El Pollo Loco and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2022	2023	2024	2025
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	21	31	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	50	50	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	74	78	72	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	52	81	67	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	48	67	58	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for El Pollo Loco.
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