Yahoo Finance Is There Now An Opportunity In El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO)?
While El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) might not be the most widely known stock at the moment, it received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the NASDAQGS over the last few months, increasing to US$19.08 at one point, and dropping to the lows of US$16.79. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether El Pollo Loco Holdings' current trading price of US$16.91 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at El Pollo Loco Holdings’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.
See our latest analysis for El Pollo Loco Holdings
Is El Pollo Loco Holdings still cheap?
According to my price multiple model, which makes a comparison between the company's price-to-earnings ratio and the industry average, the stock price seems to be justfied. In this instance, I’ve used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stock’s cash flows. I find that El Pollo Loco Holdings’s ratio of 22x is trading slightly below its industry peers’ ratio of 26.67x, which means if you buy El Pollo Loco Holdings today, you’d be paying a reasonable price for it. And if you believe that El Pollo Loco Holdings should be trading at this level in the long run, then there’s not much of an upside to gain over and above other industry peers. Although, there may be an opportunity to buy in the future. This is because El Pollo Loco Holdings’s beta (a measure of share price volatility) is high, meaning its price movements will be exaggerated relative to the rest of the market. If the market is bearish, the company’s shares will likely fall by more than the rest of the market, providing a prime buying opportunity.
Can we expect growth from El Pollo Loco Holdings?
Future outlook is an important aspect when you’re looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let’s also take a look at the company's future expectations. With profit expected to grow by 32% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for El Pollo Loco Holdings. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.
What this means for you:
Are you a shareholder? LOCO’s optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we haven’t considered today, such as the track record of its management team. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at LOCO? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below the industry PE ratio?
Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping an eye on LOCO, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the optimistic forecast is encouraging for LOCO, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.
It can be quite valuable to consider what analysts expect for El Pollo Loco Holdings from their most recent forecasts. Luckily, you can check out what analysts are forecasting by clicking here.
If you are no longer interested in El Pollo Loco Holdings, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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