What to Expect From El Pollo Loco Earnings
El Pollo Loco is scheduled to release its most recent quarterly results Thursday after the markets close.
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El Pollo Loco Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LOCO) is set to release its most recent quarterly earnings Thursday after the markets close. The consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters are $0.17 in earnings per share (EPS) on $88.49 million in revenue.
Back in March we noted that the company gave its outlook for the 2015 full year. It expects net income per share, on a pro forma basis, to be in the range of $0.67 to $0.71, as well as growth in comparable restaurant sales in the range of 3% to 5%. The consensus estimates moved up slightly since then to EPS of $0.70 and $373.31 million in revenue from $0.68 in EPS on revenue of $369.30 million.
In the previous earnings release, the crazy chicken beat estimates on both the top and bottom lines while reporting strong increases in its comparable sales for the fourth quarter. This was also the 14th consecutive quarter with positive comparable restaurant sales growth.
After this past earnings report, investors were incredibly happy with the stock’s reaction. For the first quarter they will be looking for a repeat performance.
So far El Pollo Loco’s performance year to date has been spectacular, as the stock has risen roughly 41%. The stock currently trades at 41.4 times this year’s expected earnings.
Ahead of earnings, a couple of analysts weighed in on the company:
- Zacks downgraded El Pollo Loco to Hold from Buy.
- William Blair reiterated its Outperform rating for the stock.
The stock has a consensus analyst price target of $29.67, which implies only a slight upside from current prices.
Shares of the crazy chicken closed Wednesday up 1.3% at $28.22. In premarket trading Thursday, shares jumped an additional 2.8% to $29.00, seemingly in anticipation of earnings. The stock has a 52-week trading range of $18.48 to $41.70.
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Chris Lange is a financial and geopolitical writer with more than a decade of experience covering a myriad of topics. He has published thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St., with past coverage focused heavily on stocks, IPOs, healthcare, defense, global affairs, and technology.
His work has been quoted, or referenced by a number of outlets including Business Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, and many other publications. A graduate of Southwestern University, he studied business with a focus on investments and has previous experience in banking and startups.
When not reading or writing the news, he is following his passion for Lacrosse, playing chess, or building solar projects with his dad.
