El Pollo Loco (LOCO) Q1 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates

El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) reported $119.18 million in revenue for the quarter ended March 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 2.6%. EPS of $0.19 for the same period compares to $0.22 a year ago.The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $118.46 million, representing a surprise of +0.61%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of -5.00%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.20.While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.Here is how El Pollo Loco performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts: Stores at the End of Period - Franchise restaurants: 325 versus 326 estimated by three analysts on average. Stores at the End of Period - Company-owned Restaurants: 174 versus the three-analyst average estimate of 173. Comparable restaurant sales - System-wide: -0.6% versus 0.4% estimated by three analysts on average. Stores at the End of Period - Total Restaurants: 499 versus 499 estimated by three analysts on average. Comparable restaurant sales - Company-owned Restaurants: 4.6% compared to the 2.3% average estimate based on two analysts. Revenue- Franchise advertising fee revenue: $7.63 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $7.69 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -0.3%. Revenue- Franchise revenue: $13.18 million versus $11.46 million estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +16.2% change. Revenue- Company-operated restaurant revenue: $98.37 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $99.31 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +1.3%. View all Key Company Metrics for El Pollo Loco here>>>Shares of El Pollo Loco have returned -10.3% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -0.7% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks