Growth is the primary weakness (avg 50/100). Valuation is the relative bright spot.
Broad-market heuristics · Not a buy/sell signal
Valuation and growth
Valuation
Growth
Under 20x, reasonable relative to earnings
Under 20x cash flow, well covered
Below 2%, essentially flat
Above 10% CAGR, strong compounder
Business Quality & Capital Allocation
Shrinking >2%, active buybacks
Expanded 3+pp, strong improvement
Net debt/FCF of 5.0x, high leverage
Below 8%, may not cover cost of capital
El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) quality: score, margins and returns
El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) scores 63/100 on Intrinsiqq's quality score (a solid business), a weighted blend of 8 metrics each scored 0 to 100, on 10.5% operating margins and 7.2% ROIC. Every metric is computed from SEC filings; this is analysis, not investment advice.
Frequently asked
Is El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) a high-quality business?+
El Pollo Loco Holdings scores 63 out of 100 on Intrinsiqq's quality score, a weighted blend of 8 metrics each scored 0 to 100, which rates it a solid business on these measures. Recent figures include a 10.5% operating margin and a 7.2% return on invested capital. Quality and price are separate questions: even a great business can be a poor investment if you overpay, so read this score alongside the valuation. The metric-by-metric breakdown is on this scorecard.
What does El Pollo Loco Holdings's quality score measure?+
Intrinsiqq's quality score weighs revenue and free-cash-flow growth, operating margins, return on invested capital, change in share count, and balance-sheet strength, each computed from LOCO's SEC filings rather than opinion or sentiment. A higher score means a more durable, capital-efficient business; it is not a buy or sell signal. Open each metric on this page to see exactly where El Pollo Loco Holdings scores well and where it falls behind.
What is El Pollo Loco Holdings's return on invested capital (ROIC)?+
El Pollo Loco Holdings earns about 7.2% on its invested capital, which is modest. ROIC measures how much profit a company generates per dollar put to work; sustained ROIC above its cost of capital is one of the clearest signs of a real competitive moat. Compare it to LOCO's margins and growth on this scorecard to judge durability.
How profitable is El Pollo Loco Holdings?+
El Pollo Loco Holdings runs an operating margin of about 10.5% and a net margin of about 7.0%. Revenue has grown at roughly 2.8% a year recently. High, stable margins usually point to pricing power and operating discipline. Margins are most telling next to growth and returns on capital, all of which feed this quality score. This is analysis from SEC filings, not investment advice.
SourceQuality score computed from the 10-Q filed 3 Aug 2026, covering the period ending 1 Jul 2026, as reported to the SEC. Data last refreshed 8 Aug 2026. How this is calculated.
Fiscal year ends Dec. Sector medians are approximate S&P 500 benchmarks and update periodically. Checks use broad-market heuristics, so sector norms may differ, and the valuation checks are more cyclical than the quality checks.
Peers
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Held by ETFs
LOCO is in 20 US ETFs. The largest of them, with LOCO's weight in each:
iShares Russell 2000 Value ETFIWN0.03%of the fund
Dimensional U.S. Targeted Value ETFDFAT0.03%of the fund
Dimensional US Small Cap Value ETFDFSV0.04%of the fund
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETFVCR0.02%of the fund
Avantis U.S. Small Cap Equity ETFAVSC0.03%of the fund
- BSEA Bridgeway Omni Small-Cap Value ETFBSVO0.16%of the fund
Spot a number that looks wrong? Check it in LOCO's SEC filings or
Download this analysis as a PDF (Pro)
Data sourced from SEC EDGAR filings and third-party price providers. Scores, valuations, and metrics are algorithmic estimates. This is not investment advice. See our Terms and Methodology.
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