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El Pollo Loco (LOCO) Q4 Earnings Preview: What You Should Know Beyond the Headline Estimates

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The upcoming report from El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO - Free Report) is expected to reveal quarterly earnings of $0.13 per share, indicating a decline of 18.8% compared to the year-ago period. Analysts forecast revenues of $113.15 million, representing an increase of 0.8% year over year.

The current level reflects no revision in the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter over the past 30 days. This demonstrates how the analysts covering the stock have collectively reappraised their initial projections over this period.

Prior to a company's earnings release, it is of utmost importance to factor in any revisions made to the earnings projections. These revisions serve as a critical gauge for predicting potential investor behaviors with respect to the stock. Empirical studies consistently reveal a strong link between trends in earnings estimate revisions and the short-term price performance of a stock.

While investors usually depend on consensus earnings and revenue estimates to assess the business performance for the quarter, delving into analysts' forecasts for certain key metrics often provides a more comprehensive understanding.

In light of this perspective, let's dive into the average estimates of certain El Pollo Loco metrics that are commonly tracked and forecasted by Wall Street analysts.

Analysts predict that the 'Revenue- Franchise advertising fee revenue' will reach $7.36 million. The estimate suggests a change of +0.4% year over year.

Based on the collective assessment of analysts, 'Revenue- Franchise revenue' should arrive at $11.17 million. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +1.9%.

According to the collective judgment of analysts, 'Revenue- Company-operated restaurant revenue' should come in at $94.62 million. The estimate suggests a change of +0.7% year over year.

Analysts forecast 'Stores at the End of Period - Franchise restaurants' to reach 326. The estimate is in contrast to the year-ago figure of 323.

The consensus among analysts is that 'Stores at the End of Period - Company-owned Restaurants' will reach 173. The estimate is in contrast to the year-ago figure of 172.

The consensus estimate for 'Stores at the End of Period - Total Restaurants' stands at 499. Compared to the present estimate, the company reported 495 in the same quarter last year.

View all Key Company Metrics for El Pollo Loco here>>>

Over the past month, El Pollo Loco shares have recorded returns of -5% versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -1.3% change. Based on its Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), LOCO will likely outperform the overall market in the upcoming period. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>


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