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Richard Sloan from the University of Michigan was first to document what is referred to as the "accrual anomaly". His 1996 paper found that shares of companies with small or negative accruals vastly outperform (+10%) those of companies with large ones.
El Pollo Loco Holdings's Sloan Ratio for the quarter that ended in Jun. 2026 was -0.99%.
As of Jun. 2026, El Pollo Loco Holdings has a Sloan Ratio of -0.99%, indicating the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
El Pollo Loco Holdings (NAS:LOCO) Sloan Ratio % Explanation
A former University of Michigan researcher, Richard Sloan's 1996 paper found that shares of companies with small or negative accruals vastly outperform (+10%) those of companies with large ones. In fact, for the 40-year period between 1962 and 2001, buying the lowest accrual companies and shorting the highest accrual companies resulted in an average annual compounded return of 18%, more than double the S&P 500's 7.4% annual return over the same period.
If the Sloan Ratio is between -10% and 10%, the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
If the Sloan Ratio is less than between -25% and -10% on the negative side, and between 10% and 25% on the positive side, this is a warning stage of accrual build up.
If the Sloan Ratio is less than -25% or greater than 25%, and this ratio is consistent over several quarters or even years, be careful. Earnings are highly likely to be made up of accruals.
As of Jun. 2026, El Pollo Loco Holdings has a Sloan Ratio of -0.99%, indicating the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
El Pollo Loco Holdings Sloan Ratio % Related Terms
El Pollo Loco Holdings Sloan Ratio % Historical Data
* 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.
For the Restaurants subindustry, El Pollo Loco Holdings's Sloan Ratio %, along with its competitors' market caps and Sloan Ratio % 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 Sloan Ratio % vs Restaurants Industry
For the Restaurants industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, El Pollo Loco Holdings's Sloan Ratio % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where El Pollo Loco Holdings's Sloan Ratio % falls into.
Earnings contain a lot of non cash earnings which is called accruals. The Sloan ratio is a way to identify firms with low non-cash or accrual-derived earnings relative to their cash flow.
El Pollo Loco Holdings's Sloan Ratio for the fiscal year that ended in Dec. 2025 is calculated as
El Pollo Loco Holdings's Net Income for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Jun. 2026 was 7.358 (Sep. 2025 ) + 6.54 (Dec. 2025 ) + 8.157 (Mar. 2026 ) + 12.807 (Jun. 2026 ) = $34.9 Mil.
El Pollo Loco Holdings's Cash Flow from Operations for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Jun. 2026 was 15.294 (Sep. 2025 ) + 13.91 (Dec. 2025 ) + 13.008 (Mar. 2026 ) + 31.73 (Jun. 2026 ) = $73.9 Mil.
El Pollo Loco Holdings's Cash Flow from Investing for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Jun. 2026 was -5.384 (Sep. 2025 ) + -8.824 (Dec. 2025 ) + -10.248 (Mar. 2026 ) + -8.479 (Jun. 2026 ) = $-32.9 Mil.
* 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 (LOCO) has a Sloan Ratio % of -0.99% as of Jun. 2026. Sloan ratio measures earnings quality based on the amount of accruals. View historical data on El Pollo Loco Holdings and its competitors.
Is El Pollo Loco Holdings' Sloan Ratio % too high?
El Pollo Loco Holdings' current Sloan Ratio % is -0.99%. Overall, El Pollo Loco Holdings has a GF Score™ of 65/100 and is considered Modestly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does El Pollo Loco Holdings' Sloan Ratio % compare to KRUS and DIN?
El Pollo Loco Holdings' Sloan Ratio % of -0.99% 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 Sloan Ratio % for a Restaurants company?
A good Sloan Ratio % depends on the Restaurants industry context. However, Sloan Ratio % 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 Sloan Ratio % mean?
A high Sloan Ratio % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Sloan ratio measures earnings quality based on the amount of accruals. View historical data on El Pollo Loco Holdings and its competitors. El Pollo Loco Holdings's current Sloan Ratio % is -0.99%. 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 Modestly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $11.83, compared to a current price of $15.18 — trading 28.3% above its estimated fair value. The current Sloan Ratio % is -0.99%. El Pollo Loco Holdings' overall GF Score™ is 65/100 with 5 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Sloan Ratio % calculated?
Sloan Ratio % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO), the current Sloan Ratio % is -0.99% 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 $15.18 is trading 28.3% above its estimated GF Value™ of $11.83.
GuruFocus considers El Pollo Loco Holdings to be Modestly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for LOCO:
Sloan Ratio %: -0.99%
GF Value™: $11.83 vs. price of $15.18 (28.3% above fair value)
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.
65GF Score
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