El Pollo Loco (LOCO) Q3 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates

El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) reported $120.4 million in revenue for the quarter ended September 2024, representing no change year over year. EPS of $0.21 for the same period compares to $0.19 a year ago.The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $123.11 million, representing a surprise of -2.20%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +23.53%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.17.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.As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.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: 324 versus 325 estimated by three analysts on average. Stores at the End of Period - Company-owned Restaurants: 172 versus the three-analyst average estimate of 172. Comparable restaurant sales - System-wide: 2.7% compared to the 3.4% average estimate based on three analysts. Stores at the End of Period - Total Restaurants: 496 compared to the 496 average estimate based on three analysts. Comparable restaurant sales - Franchise restaurants: 2.7% versus the two-analyst average estimate of 4.3%. Comparable restaurant sales - Company-owned Restaurants: 11.3% versus the two-analyst average estimate of 2.2%. Revenue- Franchise advertising fee revenue: $7.89 million versus $8.04 million estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +6% change. Revenue- Franchise revenue: $11.33 million compared to the $11.30 million average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +10.5% year over year. Revenue- Company-operated restaurant revenue: $101.18 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $103.77 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -1.5%. View all Key Company Metrics for El Pollo Loco here>>>Shares of El Pollo Loco have returned -6.7% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), indicating that it could underperform the broader market in the near term.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2024. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want 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 ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks