El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LOCO ) stock has been a high-flier, up 56% this year and currently trading at its highest level since late 2021. The Mexican-style fast food concept known for its fire-grilled chicken has posted a series of better-than-expectedAnalyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, but may initiate a beneficial Long position through a purchase of the stock, or the purchase of call options or similar derivatives ...

The U.S. restaurant industry has shown great resilience amid rising price pressure. Sales grew consistently at restaurants and drinking places in 2023 and this year has also been great so far. The Federal Reserve’s recent rate cut is likely to benefit the restaurant industry further as it will help lower the cost of both raw materials as well as allow consumers to spend more freely.Given this situation, it would be ideal to invest in restaurant stocks like Yum China Holdings, Inc. (YUMC) , El Pollo Loco Hol ...

The restaurant industry is showing promising signs of growth, buoyed by key developments in August sales. The recent Federal Reserve’s decision to lower interest rates for the first time in four years adds another layer of opportunity for investors.As inflation subsides and consumer habits evolve, the restaurant industry is entering a pivotal phase. Despite a challenging macroeconomic environment, the industry has demonstrated stability, enabling companies to meet and harness new demand. Resilience and adap ...

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) stock has shown remarkable performance in the past six months, outperforming the S&P 500 and the industry. In the same time frame, LOCO has surged 62.5% compared with the industry’s 2.3% increase and the S&P 500’s 9.3% rise. The company is focused on repositioning itself for growth under the leadership of CEO Liz Williams. Williams, who has been in her role for about six months, is undertaking efforts to modernize the brand and improve unit-level margins.As of Friday, the ...

Momentum investing is essentially an exception to the idea of "buying low and selling high." Investors following this style of investing are usually not interested in betting on cheap stocks and waiting long for them to recover. Instead, they believe that "buying high and selling higher" is the way to make far more money in lesser time.Who doesn't like betting on fast-moving trending stocks? But determining the right entry point isn't easy. Often, these stocks lose momentum once their valuation moves ahead ...

The Zacks Retail – Restaurants industry’s performance continues to be impacted by high wages, food cost inflation and traffic woes. Additionally, consumers are dealing with less disposable income, making them more cautious about spending on dining out. However, rapid increases in menu prices, average check growth and expansion efforts bode well. Industry participants also benefit from partnerships with delivery channels and digital platforms. Stocks like Texas Roadhouse, Inc. (TXRH) , El Pollo Loco Holdings ...

The U.S. restaurant industry grew at a solid pace over the past two years, amid price pressures and higher wages and food costs. The growth has somewhat slowed this year but the industry has still made a solid effort to hold its ground.Restaurant sales have climbed over the past few months, benefiting a large number of restaurant brands such as El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) ,Meritage Hospitality Group Inc. (MHGU) , Potbelly Corporation (PBPB) , Texas Roadhouse, Inc. (TXRH) and Wingstop (WING) , which ...

For those looking to find strong Retail-Wholesale stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.El Pollo Loco Holdings is a member of our Retail-Wholesale group, which includes 209 different companies and currently sits at #9 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The ...

The U.S. restaurant industry continues to be impacted by high wages, food cost inflation and traffic woes in 2024 after two years of strong growth. The Zacks defined Retail – Restaurants industry is currently in the bottom 35% of the Zacks Industry Rank. In the past year, the industry has grown just 3.3%, while its year-to-date return is a mere 1.1%. The broad-market index — the S&P 500 — has rallied 29.3% and 18.8%, respectively, over these periods. Since the restaurant industry is ranked in the bottom hal ...

Momentum investing is all about the idea of following a stock's recent trend, which can be in either direction. In the 'long' context, investors will essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." And for investors following this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving in that direction. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.Whil ...