Should You Investigate El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) At US$10.81?

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO), is not the largest company out there, but it saw a double-digit share price rise of over 10% in the past couple of months on the NASDAQGS. With many analysts covering the stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stock’s share price. But what if there is still an opportunity to buy? Let’s take a look at El Pollo Loco Holdings’s outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if the opportunity still exists.

See our latest analysis for El Pollo Loco Holdings

What Is El Pollo Loco Holdings Worth?

The stock is currently trading at US$10.81 on the share market, which means it is overvalued by 36% compared to my intrinsic value of $7.93. This means that the opportunity to buy El Pollo Loco Holdings at a good price has disappeared! If you like the stock, you may want to keep an eye out for a potential price decline in the future. Given that El Pollo Loco Holdings’s share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us another chance to buy in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility.

What does the future of El Pollo Loco Holdings look like?

Future outlook is an important aspect when you’re looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let’s also take a look at the company's future expectations. El Pollo Loco Holdings' earnings over the next few years are expected to increase by 39%, indicating a highly optimistic future ahead. This should lead to more robust cash flows, feeding into a higher share value.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has well and truly priced in LOCO’s positive outlook, with shares trading above its fair value. At this current price, shareholders may be asking a different question – should I sell? If you believe LOCO should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards its real value can be profitable. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.

Are you a potential investor? If you’ve been keeping tabs on LOCO for some time, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its true value, which means there’s no upside from mispricing. However, the optimistic prospect is encouraging for LOCO, which means it’s worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for El Pollo Loco Holdings you should be mindful of and 1 of these makes us a bit uncomfortable.

If you are no longer interested in El Pollo Loco Holdings, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.