Stocktoria
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. LOCO
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) earns a Piotroski F-score of 8/9 (strong financial health), with an Altman Z″ in the distress zone. It pays a dividend yielding 10.85% (safety: no dividend). FY2025 revenue was $490.0M at a 5.4% net margin.
Quality score trend · recomputed for each fiscal year
Each year's score is computed from that year's filing — a rising Piotroski F or Altman Z″ means improving financial health, a fall is worth a look.
Analyst price target
Wall Street analyst consensus — a sentiment gauge, not our scoring.
How it ranks in Retail Trade · percentile among 238 companies
Percentile vs other Retail Trade companies we cover — e.g. “stronger than 90%” means only 10% score higher on that measure.
Piotroski F breakdown · 8/9 tests passed
- Positive return on assets
- Positive operating cash flow
- Rising ROA
- Cash flow exceeds net income
- Lower long-term debt
- Rising current ratio
- No share dilution
- Rising gross margin
- Rising asset turnover
Altman Z″ components · distress zone
| Component | Value |
|---|---|
| Working capital / assets | -0.088 |
| Retained earnings / assets | 0.072 |
| EBIT / assets | 0.069 |
| Equity / liabilities | 0.922 |
Sector peers · similar-size Retail Trade companies compare side by side →
| Ticker | Company | Piotroski F | Altman Z″ | P / E | Revenue growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOCO | El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. | 8/9 | 1.09 | 19.3 | +3.6% |
| NDLS | NOODLES & Co | 3/9 | -4.87 | — | +0.4% |
| BH | Biglari Holdings Inc. | 3/9 | — | — | +9.2% |
| WING | Wingstop Inc. | 5/9 | -0.55 | 25.4 | +11.4% |
| KRUS | KURA SUSHI USA, INC. | 3/9 | 1.37 | — | +18.9% |
| RICK | RCI HOSPITALITY HOLDINGS, INC. | 6/9 | 2.17 | 19.1 | -5.5% |
| PTLO | Portillo's Inc. | 3/9 | 0.2 | 18.6 | +3% |
About El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiary, El Pollo Loco, Inc., develops, franchises, licenses, and operates quick-service restaurants under the El Pollo Loco name. The company operates and franchises restaurants located in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Utah, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Washington. It also licenses its brand to restaurants in the Philippines. The company was formerly known as Chicken Acquisition Corp. and changed its name to El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. in April 2014. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California.
FAQ
Is LOCO financially healthy?
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.'s Piotroski F-score is 8/9 (8–9 is excellent, 0–3 weak), and its Altman Z″ distress score is in the distress zone.
Does LOCO pay a dividend, and is it safe?
Yes. El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. pays a dividend yielding about 10.85% with a None payout ratio, rated “no dividend” for safety.
How profitable is LOCO?
In FY2025, El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. had a net margin of 5.4% and a return on equity of 9.1%.
Is LOCO overvalued or undervalued?
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. trades at about 16.9× trailing earnings — below its 10-year norm (10-year range 11.3×–45.7×, median 20.6×). Stocktoria reports the data, not buy/sell advice.
What is the analyst price target for LOCO?
The average Wall-Street price target for El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. is $17.88, about 17.6% above the recent price, from 4 analysts (consensus: buy).
Is LOCO a good stock to buy?
Stocktoria doesn't give buy or sell advice, but here is the data on El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.: a Piotroski F-score of 8/9, an Altman Z″ in the distress zone, a P/E of about 19.3×, a dividend yield of 10.85%. Weigh these quality and valuation signals against your own goals.
Computed from company filings · US · as of 2025-12-31. Facts plus Stocktoria's own computed scores — not investment advice.