PTLO (Portillos) Earnings Power Value (EPV): $-8.13 (As of Mar26)


PTLO Portillos Inc PTLO
58 GF Score
Price $4.35
GF Value $10.77
Valuation Possible Value Trap
! 6 Warning Signs
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What is Portillos Earnings Power Value (EPV)?

Portillos PTLO +7.16% 58 Earnings Power Value (EPV) is $-8.13 as of Mar26. GuruFocus rates PTLO with a GF Score™ of 58/100 and a GF Value™ of $10.77 (Possible Value Trap). The stock has 6 warning signs investors should review.

As of Mar26, Portillos's earnings power value is $-8.13. *

* GuruFocus does not store EPV value into our database if Average Maintenance CAPEX is 0.

Margin of Safety is N/A.

The basic concept of EPV is that one should value a stock based on the current free cash flow of a company and not on future projections which may, or may not, come true. It is arguably a better way to analyze stocks than Discounted Cash Flow analysis that relies on highly speculative growth assumptions many years into the future. Assumption: Current profitability is sustainable.


Portillos  (NAS:PTLO) Earnings Power Value (EPV) Explanation

Assumption: Current profitability is sustainable.

Earnings power value (EPV) uses a very basic equation which assumes no growth, although it does rely on an assumption about the cost of capital as well as the fact that current earnings are sustainable. It also involves several adjustments to clean up the underlying Earnings figures.


Be Aware

Though using today's earnings in calculating Earnings Power Value, GuruFocus is normalizing these earnings to the business cycle. This eliminates the effects on profitability of valuing the firm at different points in the business cycle. This means that we are considering the average earnings over 5 years.


Portillos Earnings Power Value (EPV) Related Terms


Portillos Earnings Power Value (EPV) Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Portillos's Earnings Power Value (EPV) 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.

Portillos Earnings Power Value (EPV) Chart

Portillos Annual Data
Trend Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Earnings Power Value (EPV)
Get a 7-Day Free Trial 0.00 0.00 0.00 -6.71 -7.33

Portillos Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Earnings Power Value (EPV) Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -6.58 -5.24 -6.58 -7.33 -8.13

PTLO vs JACK, DIN, VENU: Earnings Power Value (EPV) Comparison

For the Restaurants subindustry, Portillos's Earnings Power Value (EPV), along with its competitors' market caps and Earnings Power Value (EPV) 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.


Portillos Earnings Power Value (EPV) vs Restaurants Industry

For the Restaurants industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, Portillos's Earnings Power Value (EPV) distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Portillos's Earnings Power Value (EPV) falls into.


PTLO
58GF Score
Portillos Inc PTLO
Earnings Power Value (EPV) is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Portillos Earnings Power Value (EPV) Calculation

Earnings Power Value also known as just Earnings Power is a valuation technique popularised by Bruce Greenwald, an authority on value investing at Columbia University. It is arguably a better way to analyze stocks than Discounted Cash Flow analysis that relies on highly speculative growth assumptions many years into the future.

The basic concept of EPV is that one should value a stock based on the current free cash flow of a company and not on future projections which may, or may not, come true. This valuation tool excludes the potential growth that a company may have so that needs to be looked at separately. Since future growth is excluded from the analysis, only the maintenance capital expenditures are subtracted from after-tax EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) and growth capex is ignored.

Portillos's "Earning Power" Calculation:

Average of Last 20 Quarters Last Quarter
Revenue 662.0
DDA 25.3
Operating Margin % 7.53
SGA * 25% 28.4
Tax Rate % 19.42
Maintenance Capex 58.4
Cash and Cash Equivalents 24.0
Short-Term Debt 117.2
Long-Term Debt 571.4
Shares Outstanding (Diluted) 72.1

1. Start with "Earnings" not including accounting adjustments (one-time charges not excluded unless policy has changed). "Earnings" are "Operating Income.

2. Look at average margins over a business/Industry cycle: Average Operating Margin = 7.53%

To normalize margins and eliminate the effects on profitability of valuing the firm at different points in the business cycle, it is usually best to take a long-term average of operating margins. Ideally this would be as long as 10 years and include at least one economic downturn. However, since most of companies do not have as long as 10-year history, here GuruFocus uses the latest 5 years data to do the calculation. To smooth out unusual years but reflect recent developments, we take an average of the 5 year margin.

3. Multiply average margins by sustainable revenues and then adjust for maintenance SGA. This yields "normalized" EBIT:

To be conservative, GuruFocus uses an average of the 5 year revenues as the sustainable revenue.
EPV analysis recognises that part of SG&A expenditure is made to maintain and replace the existing assets, while part is made to grow sales. Since EPV is only interested in what it costs a going concern to maintain its existing asset base, it adds back a percentage of SG&A (between 15% and 50% - this is a matter of judgment and industry knowledge) to make up for the fact that some of this expenditure went to fund growth and shouldn't be accounted for. To start off, we assume 25% for the sake of prudence.
Sustainable Revenue = $662.0 Mil, Average Operating Margin = 7.53%, Average Adjusted SGA = 28.4,
therefore "Normalized" EBIT = Sustainable Revenue * Average Operating Margin + Average Adjusted SGA = 662.0 * 7.53% +28.4 = $78.189294594 Mil.

4. Multiply by one minus Average Tax Rate (NOPAT):

Same as average operating margin calculation, GuruFocus takes an average of the 5 years tax rates.
Average Tax Rate = 19.42%, and "Normalized" EBIT = $78.189294594 Mil,
therefore After-tax "Normalized" EBIT = "Normalized" EBIT * ( 1 - Average Tax Rate ) = 78.189294594 * ( 1 - 19.42% ) = $63.008452102102 Mil.

5. Add back Excess Depreciation (after tax at 1/2 average tax rate). This yields "normalized" Earnings:

Excess Depreciation = Average DDA * % of Excess Depreciation (after tax at 1/2 average tax rate) = 25.3 * 0.5 * 19.42% = $2.457769314 Mil.
"Normalized" Earnings = After-tax "Normalized" EBIT + Excess Depreciation = 63.008452102102 + 2.457769314 = $65.466221416102 Mil.

6. Adjusted for Maintenance Capital Expenditure:

First, calculate the revenue change regarding to the previous year. If the revenue decreased from the previous year, then the Maintenance Capital Expenditure = Capital Expenditure (positive).
Second, if the revenue increased from the previous year, then calculate the percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue.
Third, calculate Capital Expenditure (positive) - percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue * revenue increase.
If [Capital Expenditure (positive) - percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue * revenue increase] was negative, then the Maintenance Capital Expenditure = Capital Expenditure (positive).
If [Capital Expenditure (positive) - percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue * revenue increase] was positive, then the Maintenance Capital Expenditure = Capital Expenditure (positive) - percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue * revenue increase.
Fourth, GuruFocus uses an average of the 5 year maintenance capital expenditures as maintenance CAPEX.
Portillos's Average Maintenance CAPEX = $58.4 Mil *.
* GuruFocus does not store EPV value into our database if Average Maintenance CAPEX is 0.

7. Investors require a return of "WACC" for the risk they are taking: WACC = 9%

8. Portillos's current cash and cash equivalent = $24.0 Mil.
Portillos's current interest bearing debt = Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation + Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation = 571.4 + 117.2 = $688.584 Mil.
Portillos's current Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) = 72.1 Mil.

Portillos's Earnings Power Value (EPV) for Mar26 is calculated as:

EPV = ( ( Norm. Earnings-Maint. CAPEX *) / WACC + CashandEquiv - Int. Bearing Debt ) / Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average)
= ( ( 65.466221416102 - 58.4)/ 9%+24.0-688.584 )/72.1
=-8.13

Margin of Safety (EPV)=( Earnings Power Value (EPV)-Current Price )/Earnings Power Value (EPV)
=( -8.1285446510008-4.345 )/-8.1285446510008
= N/A

* 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.

* GuruFocus does not store EPV value into our database if Average Maintenance CAPEX is 0.

What does a Earnings Power Value (EPV) of $-8.13 mean?
Portillos (PTLO) has a Earnings Power Value (EPV) of $-8.13 as of Mar26. Bruce Greenwald's earnings power value focuses on current earnings without factoring in future growth. View historical data on Portillos and its competitors.
Is Portillos' Earnings Power Value (EPV) too high?
Portillos' current Earnings Power Value (EPV) is $-8.13. Overall, Portillos has a GF Score™ of 58/100 and is considered Possible Value Trap, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Portillos' Earnings Power Value (EPV) compare to JACK and DIN?
Portillos' Earnings Power Value (EPV) of $-8.13 can be compared against companies in the Restaurants industry. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Earnings Power Value (EPV) for a Restaurants company?
A good Earnings Power Value (EPV) depends on the Restaurants industry context. However, Earnings Power Value (EPV) should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Earnings Power Value (EPV) mean?
A high Earnings Power Value (EPV) can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Bruce Greenwald's earnings power value focuses on current earnings without factoring in future growth. View historical data on Portillos and its competitors. Portillos's current Earnings Power Value (EPV) is $-8.13. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Portillos stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Portillos (PTLO) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is $10.77, compared to a current price of $4.35 — trading 59.7% below its estimated fair value. The current Earnings Power Value (EPV) is $-8.13. Portillos' overall GF Score™ is 58/100 with 6 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Earnings Power Value (EPV) calculated?
Earnings Power Value (EPV) is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Portillos (PTLO), the current Earnings Power Value (EPV) is $-8.13 as of Mar26. 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 Portillos (PTLO) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Portillos stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of $4.35 is trading 59.7% below its estimated GF Value™ of $10.77. GuruFocus considers Portillos to be Possible Value Trap.

Key valuation signals for PTLO:

  • Earnings Power Value (EPV): $-8.13
  • GF Value™: $10.77 vs. price of $4.35 (59.7% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 58/100 with 6 warning signs

No single metric tells the full story. See the PTLO stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Portillos Business Description

Address 2001 Spring Road, Suite 400, Oak Brook, IL, USA, 60523
Portillos Inc serves the Chicago street food industry through high-energy and multichannel restaurants designed to ignite the senses and create memorable dining experiences. The company owns and operates fast-casual restaurants in the United States, along with two food production commissaries in Illinois. Its menu includes hot dogs, beef and sausage sandwiches, sandwiches and ribs, salads, burgers, chicken, sides and soup, and others.
58GF Score

Get the complete analysis for PTLO

Earnings Power Value (EPV) is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$4.35
Price
$10.77
GF Value