El Pollo Loco HoldingsLOCO +4.84%72 Piotroski F-Score is 8 as of Jun. 25, 2026, which is 14% above its 10-year median of 7.00. GuruFocus rates LOCO with a GF Score™ of 72/100 and a GF Value™ of $11.65 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 6 warning signs investors should review. Among 357 Restaurants companies, El Pollo Loco Holdings ranks better than 96.36% on this metric.
Good Sign:
Piotroski F-Score is 8, indicates a very healthy situation.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
El Pollo Loco Holdings has an F-score of 8. It is a good or high score, which usually indicates a very healthy situation.
The historical rank and industry rank for El Pollo Loco Holdings's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
LOCO'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 3 Med: 7 Max: 9
Current: 8
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of El Pollo Loco Holdings was 9. The lowest was 3. And the median was 7.
El Pollo Loco Holdings (NAS:LOCO) Piotroski F-Score Explanation
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
El Pollo Loco Holdings Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
El Pollo Loco Holdings Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for El Pollo Loco Holdings's Piotroski F-Score 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.
LOCO vs NATH, DIN, PTLO: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Restaurants subindustry, El Pollo Loco Holdings's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score 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 Piotroski F-Score vs Restaurants Industry
For the Restaurants industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, El Pollo Loco Holdings's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where El Pollo Loco Holdings's Piotroski F-Score falls into.
* 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.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
El Pollo Loco Holdings's current Net Income (TTM) was 29.2.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
El Pollo Loco Holdings's current Cash Flow from Operations (TTM) was 56.3.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 3. Change in Return on Assets
Compare this year's return on assets (1) to last year's return on assets.
El Pollo Loco Holdings's return on assets of this year was 0.04938928. El Pollo Loco Holdings's return on assets of last year was 0.04222747.
==> This year is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
El Pollo Loco Holdings's gearing of this year was 0.36010528. El Pollo Loco Holdings's gearing of last year was 0.40348358.
==> This year is lower or equal to last year. ==> Score 1.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
El Pollo Loco Holdings's current ratio of this year was 0.34229253. El Pollo Loco Holdings's current ratio of last year was 0.31873964.
==> This year's current ratio is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
El Pollo Loco Holdings's number of shares in issue this year was 29.691. El Pollo Loco Holdings's number of shares in issue last year was 29.338.
==> There is larger number of shares in issue this year. ==> Score 0.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
El Pollo Loco Holdings's gross margin of this year was 0.22904692. El Pollo Loco Holdings's gross margin of last year was 0.21463683.
==> This year's gross margin is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
El Pollo Loco Holdings's asset turnover of this year was 0.84181441. El Pollo Loco Holdings's asset turnover of last year was 0.79600952.
==> This year's asset turnover is higher. ==> Score 1.
Evaluation
Piotroski F-Score
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Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
El Pollo Loco Holdings has an F-score of 8. It is a good or high score, which usually indicates a very healthy situation.
El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) has a Piotroski F-Score of 8 as of Jun. 25, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on El Pollo Loco Holdings and its competitors. This is 14% above median its historical median of 7.00. Over the past decade, El Pollo Loco Holdings' Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 9.00. According to the industry distribution chart, El Pollo Loco Holdings ranks #13 out of 357 companies in the Restaurants industry, placing it in the top 3.6%.
Is El Pollo Loco Holdings' Piotroski F-Score too high?
El Pollo Loco Holdings' current Piotroski F-Score of 8 is 14% above median its 10-year median of 7.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 3.00 to a high of 9.00. The Restaurants industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. El Pollo Loco Holdings' value of 8 is 60% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, El Pollo Loco Holdings ranks #13 out of 357 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 72/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does El Pollo Loco Holdings' Piotroski F-Score compare to NATH and DIN?
According to the Restaurants industry distribution chart, El Pollo Loco Holdings ranks #13 out of 357 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places El Pollo Loco Holdings in the top 4% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. El Pollo Loco Holdings' value of 8 is 60% above this benchmark. Historically, El Pollo Loco Holdings' own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 9.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 7.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, 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 Piotroski F-Score for a Restaurants company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Restaurants companies is 5.00, based on 357 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. El Pollo Loco Holdings's current Piotroski F-Score of 8 is 60% 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 Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on El Pollo Loco Holdings and its competitors. For the Restaurants industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. El Pollo Loco Holdings's current Piotroski F-Score is 8, which is 14% above median its own 10-year median of 7.00. 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 $11.65, compared to a current price of $16.22 — trading 39.2% above its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 8, which is 14% above median its 10-year median of 7.00 and 60% above the Restaurants industry median of 5.00. El Pollo Loco Holdings' overall GF Score™ is 72/100 with 6 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO), the current Piotroski F-Score is 8 as of Jun. 25, 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 $16.22 is trading 39.2% above its estimated GF Value™ of $11.65.
GuruFocus considers El Pollo Loco Holdings to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for LOCO:
Piotroski F-Score: 8 (14% above median its 10-year median of 7.00)
GF Value™: $11.65 vs. price of $16.22 (39.2% above fair value)
Industry Position: 60% above the Restaurants median (#13 of 357)
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.
72GF Score
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