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El Pollo Loco HoldingsLOCO -1.13%66 Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is 7.29% as of Jun. 2026, which is 20% above its 10-year median of 6.08. GuruFocus rates LOCO with a GF Score™ of 66/100 and a GF Value™ of $11.68 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 5 warning signs investors should review. Among 366 Restaurants companies, El Pollo Loco Holdings ranks better than 76.78% on this metric.
El Pollo Loco Holdings's Enterprise Value for the quarter that ended in Jun. 2026 was $722.6 Mil.
El Pollo Loco Holdings's EBIT for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Jun. 2026 was $52.7 Mil. El Pollo Loco Holdings's Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) for the quarter that ended in Jun. 2026 was 7.29%.
The historical rank and industry rank for El Pollo Loco Holdings's Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % or its related term are showing as below:
LOCO'
s Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 3.27 Med: 6.08 Max: 8.88
Current: 7.85
During the past 13 years, the highest Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) of El Pollo Loco Holdings was 8.88%. The lowest was 3.27%. And the median was 6.08%.
LOCO's Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is ranked better than 76.78% of 366
companies
in the Restaurants industry
Industry Median: 4.055
vs LOCO: 7.85
Joel Greenblatt's definition of earnings yield has the same problems the regular earnings yield does. It does not consider the growth of the company. It only looks at one-year's business operation. For cyclical companies, the earnings yield is usually highest at the peak of the business cycle. But these earnings are rarely sustainable.
A better indicator of the attractiveness of an investment which takes growth into account is the Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) %. El Pollo Loco Holdings's Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % for the quarter that ended in Jun. 2026 was 14.88%. The Forward Rate of Return uses the normalized Free Cash Flow of the past five years, and considers growth. The forward rate of return can be thought of as the return that investors buying the stock today can expect from it in the future.
El Pollo Loco Holdings (NAS:LOCO) Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % Explanation
Joel Greenblatt defines the earnings yield using the above equation because it more accurately reflects the company's profitability relative to its stock price. Items like interest payment and tax etc. are not directly related to the company's operational profitability.
Enterprise Value instead of market cap (share price) is used in the calculation because it is the real price stock and bond investors together pay for the company.
Be Aware
Joel Greenblatt's definition of earnings yield has the same problems the regular earnings yield does. It does not consider the growth of the company. It only looks at one-year's business operation. For cyclical companies, the earnings yield is usually highest at the peak of the business cycle. But these earnings are rarely sustainable.
El Pollo Loco Holdings Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % Related Terms
El Pollo Loco Holdings Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for El Pollo Loco Holdings's Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
El Pollo Loco Holdings Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % Chart
LOCO vs KRUS, DIN, NATH: Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % Comparison
For the Restaurants subindustry, El Pollo Loco Holdings's Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) %, along with its competitors' market caps and Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
El Pollo Loco Holdings Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % vs Restaurants Industry
For the Restaurants industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, El Pollo Loco Holdings's Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where El Pollo Loco Holdings's Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % falls into.
El Pollo Loco Holdings Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % Calculation
In his book, The Little That Beat the Market, hedge fund manager Joel Greenblatt defines Earnings Yield as operating income divided by enterprise value.
El Pollo Loco Holdingss Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) for the fiscal year that ended in Dec. 2025 is calculated as
El Pollo Loco Holdings's EBIT for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Jun. 2026 adds up the quarterly data reported by the company within the most recent 12 months, which was $52.7 Mil.
What does a Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % of 7.29% mean?
El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) has a Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % of 7.29% as of Jun. 2026. Joel Greenblatt's earnings yield equals the ratio of earnings before interest and taxes to enterprise value. View historical data on El Pollo Loco Holdings and its competitors. This is 20% above median its historical median of 6.08. Over the past decade, El Pollo Loco Holdings' Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % has ranged from 3.27 to 8.88. According to the industry distribution chart, El Pollo Loco Holdings ranks #85 out of 366 companies in the Restaurants industry, placing it in the top 23.2%.
Is El Pollo Loco Holdings' Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % too high?
El Pollo Loco Holdings' current Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % of 7.29% is 20% above median its 10-year median of 6.08. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 3.27 to a high of 8.88. The Restaurants industry median Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is 4.06. El Pollo Loco Holdings' value of 7.29% is 79.8% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, El Pollo Loco Holdings ranks #85 out of 366 companies in the Restaurants industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, El Pollo Loco Holdings has a GF Score™ of 66/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does El Pollo Loco Holdings' Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % compare to KRUS and DIN?
According to the Restaurants industry distribution chart, El Pollo Loco Holdings ranks #85 out of 366 companies for Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) %. This places El Pollo Loco Holdings in the top 23% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is 4.06. El Pollo Loco Holdings' value of 7.29% is 79.8% above this benchmark. Historically, El Pollo Loco Holdings' own Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % has ranged from 3.27 to 8.88 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 6.08 vs. the industry median of 4.06, El Pollo Loco Holdings has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % for a Restaurants company?
The median Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % among Restaurants companies is 4.06, based on 366 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. El Pollo Loco Holdings's current Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % of 7.29% is 79.8% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % mean?
A high Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Joel Greenblatt's earnings yield equals the ratio of earnings before interest and taxes to enterprise value. View historical data on El Pollo Loco Holdings and its competitors. For the Restaurants industry, the median Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is 4.06 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. El Pollo Loco Holdings's current Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is 7.29%, which is 20% above median its own 10-year median of 6.08. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is El Pollo Loco Holdings stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $11.68, compared to a current price of $15.26 — trading 30.7% above its estimated fair value. The current Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is 7.29%, which is 20% above median its 10-year median of 6.08 and 79.8% above the Restaurants industry median of 4.06. El Pollo Loco Holdings' overall GF Score™ is 66/100 with 5 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % calculated?
Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO), the current Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is 7.29% as of Jun. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, El Pollo Loco Holdings stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $15.26 is trading 30.7% above its estimated GF Value™ of $11.68.
GuruFocus considers El Pollo Loco Holdings to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for LOCO:
Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) %: 7.29% (20% above median its 10-year median of 6.08)
GF Value™: $11.68 vs. price of $15.26 (30.7% above fair value)
Industry Position: 79.8% above the Restaurants median (#85 of 366)
No single metric tells the full story. See the LOCO stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
El Pollo Loco Holdings Inc operates and franchises hundreds of fast-casual chicken restaurants in the United States. It specializes in fire-grilling citrus-marinated chicken and operates in the limited service restaurant market segment. Its offerings include Mexican-inspired menu items, including burritos, tostadas, bowls, salads, and bone-in chicken meals in various portion sizes. It also offers citrus-marinated fire-grilled chicken, along with a range of salsas and dressings that allow customers to customize their meals. The company operates in one operating segment. The majority of the company's revenue is derived from company-operated restaurant revenue.
66GF Score
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Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
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