El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) Key Metrics
LOCO valuation today
Trailing 12 months · as of October 18, 2026- Market cap
- $497.3M
- Enterprise value
- $640.4M
- P/E (TTM)
- 14.0 10-yr median 17.8
- Forward P/E
- 14.0
- PEG ratio
- 1.16
- Price / sales
- 1.0 10-yr median 1.1
- Price / book
- 1.4 10-yr median 1.5
- EV / EBITDA
- 9.2 10-yr median 13.0
- Dividend yield
- —
- Beta
- 0.67
LOCO key metrics, 2016–2025
Fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 · U.S. dollarsLOCO valuation Price multiples at each fiscal year-end price.
LOCO returns How much profit the business earns on the capital it uses.
LOCO per-share figures Results divided by the shares outstanding at year-end.
LOCO financial health Debt, liquidity and how easily interest is covered.
LOCO efficiency & capital use Working capital cycle and where the cash goes.
LOCO valuation history
LOCO returns on capital
Net income (ROE, ROA) or after-tax operating income (ROIC) divided by the average of the opening and closing balance.
LOCO debt vs cash
Debt includes short- and long-term borrowings and, where reported, lease liabilities.
LOCO cash returned to shareholders
LOCO price vs earnings per share
LOCO key metrics
2016–2025| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valuation | ||||||||||
| Market capitalization | $308.6M | $346.6M | $303.2M | $364.3M | $517.2M | $647.9M | $566.9M | $585.2M | $387.0M | $480.0M |
| Enterprise value | $542.0M | $607.1M | $569.2M | $596.7M | $720.6M | $897.8M | $869.8M | $652.4M | $471.7M | $582.3M |
| P/E ratio | 11.7 | 13.5 | 11.9 | 17.5 | 17.8 | 26.5 | 22.8 | — | 44.9 | 26.2 |
| Price / sales | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| Price / book | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 1.8 |
| Price / free cash flow | 12.1 | 12.5 | 15.7 | 19.6 | 14.8 | 19.1 | 27.4 | 33.2 | 22.2 | 40.4 |
| Price / operating cash flow | 6.4 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 9.5 | 9.9 | 16.0 | 15.7 | 12.9 | 7.2 | 9.7 |
| EV / sales | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| EV / EBITDA | 9.3 | 10.7 | 10.3 | 13.3 | 12.8 | 17.9 | 14.6 | 71.4 | 15.4 | 11.6 |
| EV / free cash flow | 21.3 | 21.9 | 29.4 | 32.0 | 20.6 | 26.5 | 42.0 | 37.0 | 27.1 | 49.0 |
| Earnings yield | 8.6% | 7.4% | 8.4% | 5.7% | 5.6% | 3.8% | 4.4% | −1.5% | 2.2% | 3.8% |
| Free cash flow yield | 8.2% | 8.0% | 6.4% | 5.1% | 6.8% | 5.2% | 3.7% | 3.0% | 4.5% | 2.5% |
| Dividend yield | — | 0.0% | 11.8% | 15.3% | 0.0% | 0.9% | 0.3% | 2.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Shareholder yield (dividends + buybacks) | 0.6% | 5.9% | 31.3% | 15.3% | 0.2% | 0.9% | 8.8% | 2.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Share price at fiscal year-end | $10.46 | $11.54 | $8.82 | $9.96 | $14.19 | $18.10 | $15.14 | $15.17 | $9.90 | $12.30 |
| Per share | ||||||||||
| Revenue per share | $16.61 | $15.75 | $13.63 | $12.85 | $12.47 | $11.90 | $11.81 | $11.30 | $10.28 | $9.74 |
| Earnings per share | $0.90 | $0.86 | $0.74 | $0.57 | $0.80 | $0.68 | $0.67 | −$0.23 | $0.22 | $0.47 |
| Operating cash flow per share | $1.63 | $1.56 | $1.18 | $1.05 | $1.43 | $1.13 | $0.97 | $1.18 | $1.37 | $1.26 |
| Free cash flow per share | $0.86 | $0.92 | $0.56 | $0.51 | $0.96 | $0.95 | $0.55 | $0.46 | $0.45 | $0.30 |
| Cash per share | $0.21 | $0.08 | $0.21 | $0.56 | $0.82 | $0.37 | $0.22 | $0.18 | $0.22 | $0.06 |
| Book value per share | $9.87 | $8.68 | $7.29 | $7.69 | $8.52 | $7.75 | $6.56 | $6.88 | $7.03 | $6.79 |
| Tangible book value per share | −$0.66 | −$1.66 | −$1.74 | −$0.80 | $0.00 | −$0.92 | −$1.74 | −$1.18 | −$0.92 | −$1.18 |
| Dividends per share | — | $0.00 | $1.04 | $1.52 | $0.00 | $0.15 | $0.04 | $0.34 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Capex per share | $0.77 | $0.64 | $0.62 | $0.54 | $0.47 | $0.19 | $0.41 | $0.72 | $0.93 | $0.96 |
| Debt per share | $8.12 | $8.76 | $7.95 | $6.91 | $6.41 | $7.35 | $8.31 | $1.92 | $2.39 | $2.68 |
| Shares outstanding | 29.5M | 30.0M | 34.4M | 36.6M | 36.4M | 35.8M | 37.4M | 38.6M | 39.1M | 39.0M |
| Change in shares outstanding | −1.8% | −12.6% | −6.0% | +0.4% | +1.8% | −4.4% | −2.9% | −1.3% | +0.2% | −0.0% |
| Returns & profitability | ||||||||||
| Return on equity (ROE) | 9.6% | 10.0% | 9.6% | 7.0% | 9.9% | 9.4% | 9.7% | −3.3% | 3.2% | 7.2% |
| Return on invested capital (ROIC) | 5.7% | 5.8% | 5.7% | 4.2% | 5.9% | 5.1% | 6.3% | −2.2% | 1.8% | 5.6% |
| Return on assets (ROA) | 4.4% | 4.3% | 4.3% | 3.4% | 4.8% | 4.0% | 4.6% | −2.0% | 1.9% | 3.9% |
| Return on tangible assets | 8.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% | 7.3% | 9.6% | 8.3% | 7.9% | −6.5% | 6.5% | 11.4% |
| Free cash flow margin | 5.2% | 5.9% | 4.1% | 4.0% | 7.7% | 7.9% | 4.7% | 4.0% | 4.3% | 3.1% |
| Income quality (OCF / net income) | 1.82 | 1.82 | 1.59 | 1.85 | 1.79 | 1.66 | 1.45 | — | 6.23 | 2.69 |
| Financial health | ||||||||||
| Total debt | $239.6M | $263.0M | $273.3M | $252.9M | $233.5M | $263.1M | $311.0M | $74.2M | $93.3M | $104.5M |
| Cash & short-term investments | $6.2M | $2.5M | $7.3M | $20.5M | $30.0M | $13.2M | $8.1M | $7.0M | $8.6M | $2.2M |
| Net debt | $233.3M | $260.5M | $266.0M | $232.4M | $203.4M | $249.9M | $302.9M | $67.2M | $84.8M | $102.3M |
| Debt / equity | 0.82 | 1.01 | 1.09 | 0.90 | 0.75 | 0.95 | 1.27 | 0.28 | 0.34 | 0.39 |
| Debt / assets | 0.39 | 0.44 | 0.46 | 0.42 | 0.38 | 0.43 | 0.50 | 0.16 | 0.21 | 0.22 |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 4.02 | 4.58 | 4.83 | 5.17 | 3.60 | 4.97 | 5.09 | 7.36 | 2.77 | 2.03 |
| Current ratio | 0.08 | 0.26 | 0.35 | 0.55 | 0.66 | 0.48 | 0.33 | 0.27 | 0.44 | 0.79 |
| Quick ratio | 0.06 | 0.24 | 0.32 | 0.51 | 0.63 | 0.45 | 0.31 | 0.24 | 0.39 | 0.75 |
| Interest coverage | 9.5 | 7.0 | 8.3 | 18.0 | 22.7 | 10.2 | 10.4 | -2.7 | 2.1 | 11.0 |
| Working capital | −$72.9M | −$55.8M | −$47.4M | −$31.1M | −$25.1M | −$34.7M | −$49.3M | −$60.9M | −$26.6M | −$9.4M |
| Invested capital | $524.4M | $521.2M | $516.7M | $513.5M | $514.0M | $527.5M | $548.5M | $332.5M | $359.7M | $367.5M |
| Tangible asset value | −$19.5M | −$49.9M | −$59.9M | −$29.4M | $61,000 | −$33.0M | −$65.0M | −$45.6M | −$36.0M | −$45.9M |
| Net current asset value | −$309.3M | −$311.4M | −$316.5M | −$278.6M | −$253.7M | −$296.0M | −$354.5M | −$162.9M | −$147.0M | −$170.2M |
| Graham number | $14.12 | $12.92 | $11.04 | $9.92 | $12.38 | $10.92 | $9.91 | — | $5.91 | $8.48 |
| Graham net-net per share | −$10.17 | −$10.67 | −$9.47 | −$7.83 | −$7.19 | −$8.49 | −$9.71 | −$4.40 | −$3.91 | −$5.07 |
| Capital allocation | ||||||||||
| Dividends paid | — | $0 | $35.7M | $55.6M | $161,000 | $5.5M | $1.4M | $13.3M | $0 | $0 |
| Share buybacks (net) | $1.8M | $20.6M | $59.2M | $0 | $705,000 | $335,000 | $48.4M | $981,000 | $0 | $0 |
| Dividend payout ratio | — | 0.0% | 139.6% | 267.2% | 0.6% | 22.6% | 5.8% | — | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Dividends + buybacks / free cash flow | 7.2% | 74.2% | 490.3% | 298.3% | 2.5% | 17.3% | 240.8% | 81.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Capex / revenue | 4.6% | 4.0% | 4.6% | 4.2% | 3.8% | 1.6% | 3.5% | 6.4% | 9.0% | 9.8% |
| Capex / operating cash flow | 47.1% | 40.8% | 52.4% | 51.7% | 32.7% | 16.5% | 42.7% | 61.2% | 67.5% | 75.9% |
| Capex / depreciation | 1.42 | 1.21 | 1.40 | 1.38 | 1.12 | 0.40 | 0.86 | 1.56 | 2.00 | 2.33 |
| Stock-based compensation / revenue | 1.3% | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| SG&A / revenue | 10.3% | 9.8% | 9.2% | 8.3% | 8.8% | 8.4% | 8.4% | 11.5% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| Efficiency | ||||||||||
| Days sales outstanding | 7.9 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 9.4 | 10.4 | 9.2 | 7.6 | 7.0 | 6.4 | 6.3 |
| Days of inventory on hand | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| Days payables outstanding | 14.5 | 12.2 | 12.3 | 11.0 | 9.3 | 7.2 | 8.0 | 11.8 | 14.3 | 14.5 |
| Cash conversion cycle (days) | -4.6 | -2.4 | -1.9 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 2.0 | -2.2 | -5.3 | -5.6 |
| Receivables turnover | 46.29 | 46.68 | 44.31 | 38.75 | 35.10 | 39.88 | 47.87 | 51.85 | 56.85 | 58.01 |
| Payables turnover | 25.20 | 30.01 | 29.69 | 33.06 | 39.24 | 50.75 | 45.50 | 31.03 | 25.51 | 25.24 |
| Inventory turnover | 186.60 | 191.99 | 172.43 | 162.29 | 160.75 | 161.80 | 154.00 | 142.35 | 138.81 | 142.74 |
| Asset turnover | 0.82 | 0.80 | 0.79 | 0.78 | 0.75 | 0.69 | 0.82 | 0.98 | 0.88 | 0.82 |
| Average receivables | $10.6M | $10.1M | $10.6M | $12.1M | $12.9M | $10.7M | $9.2M | $8.4M | $7.1M | $6.6M |
| Average payables | $13.9M | $12.3M | $12.6M | $11.7M | $9.0M | $6.5M | $7.6M | $10.9M | $12.0M | $11.3M |
| Average inventory | $1.9M | $1.9M | $2.2M | $2.4M | $2.2M | $2.1M | $2.2M | $2.4M | $2.2M | $2.0M |
| Intangibles / total assets | 51.2% | 52.5% | 52.4% | 52.0% | 50.6% | 51.3% | 49.7% | 69.0% | 70.2% | 66.0% |
Computed from LOCO's annual financial statements (latest annual report filed March 13, 2026) and the closing share price on each fiscal year-end, adjusted for stock splits. Figures in U.S. dollars; data from EODHD. Averages use the opening and closing balance of each year.
LOCO valuation and financial ratios
At the end of fiscal 2025 (December 31, 2025), El Pollo Loco traded at 11.7 times earnings, against a 10-year median of 17.8. Based on the latest twelve months, the trailing P/E is 14.0 and the forward P/E is 14.0. El Pollo Loco earned a return on equity of 9.6% and a return on invested capital of 5.7% in fiscal 2025. It ended the year with $239.6 million of debt and $6.2 million in cash and short-term investments, net debt of $233.3 million. It returned $1.8 million to shareholders: $0 in dividends and $1.8 million in share buybacks, 7% of free cash flow. The share count fell 24.4% from 39.0M to 29.5M over 9 years.
See the LOCO income statement, the LOCO chart for price history, or the LOCO stock overview for the latest quote and news.
LOCO key metrics FAQ
What is El Pollo Loco's P/E ratio?
El Pollo Loco's trailing P/E ratio is 14.0 based on the last twelve months of earnings (as of October 18, 2026), and its forward P/E is 14.0. At the end of fiscal 2025 it was 11.7, compared with a 10-year median of 17.8.
What is El Pollo Loco's EV/EBITDA?
El Pollo Loco's enterprise value was 9.3 times EBITDA at the end of fiscal 2025 (enterprise value $542.0 million, EBITDA $58.0 million); the current EV/EBITDA is 9.2.
What is El Pollo Loco's return on equity?
El Pollo Loco's return on equity (ROE) was 9.6% in fiscal 2025: net income of $26.5 million on average shareholders' equity of $275.9 million.
What is El Pollo Loco's ROIC?
El Pollo Loco's return on invested capital was 5.7% in fiscal 2025, using after-tax operating income divided by average debt plus equity minus cash.
How much debt does El Pollo Loco have?
El Pollo Loco had total debt of $239.6 million at the end of fiscal 2025, a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82 and $233.3 million of net debt (4.02 times EBITDA).
Does El Pollo Loco buy back its shares?
Yes. El Pollo Loco spent $1.8 million on net share repurchases in fiscal 2025 Shares outstanding changed −1.8% over the year, to 29.5M..
What is El Pollo Loco's free cash flow yield?
El Pollo Loco generated $25.4 million of free cash flow in fiscal 2025, a free cash flow yield of 8.2% on its market value at year-end ($308.6 million).
What is El Pollo Loco's current ratio?
El Pollo Loco's current ratio was 0.08 at the end of fiscal 2025: current assets were 0.08 times current liabilities.