El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LOCO) shareholders are probably feeling a little disappointed, since its shares fell 6.3% to US$11.96 in the week after its latest quarterly results. It looks like a credible result overall - although revenues of US$120m were what the analysts expected, El Pollo Loco Holdings surprised by delivering a (statutory) profit of US$0.21 per share, an impressive 26% above what was forecast. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what experts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. Readers will be glad to know we've aggregated the latest statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their mind on El Pollo Loco Holdings after the latest results.

Check out our latest analysis for El Pollo Loco Holdings

Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus from El Pollo Loco Holdings' four analysts is for revenues of US$490.1m in 2025. This would reflect an okay 4.1% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to expand 19% to US$0.95. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$493.3m and earnings per share (EPS) of US$0.93 in 2025. So the consensus seems to have become somewhat more optimistic on El Pollo Loco Holdings' earnings potential following these results.

The consensus price target was unchanged at US$14.00, implying that the improved earnings outlook is not expected to have a long term impact on value creation for shareholders. That's not the only conclusion we can draw from this data however, as some investors also like to consider the spread in estimates when evaluating analyst price targets. There are some variant perceptions on El Pollo Loco Holdings, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$15.00 and the most bearish at US$13.00 per share. The narrow spread of estimates could suggest that the business' future is relatively easy to value, or thatthe analysts have a strong view on its prospects.

Taking a look at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can understand these forecasts is to see how they compare to both past performance and industry growth estimates. The analysts are definitely expecting El Pollo Loco Holdings' growth to accelerate, with the forecast 3.2% annualised growth to the end of 2025 ranking favourably alongside historical growth of 2.2% per annum over the past five years. Compare this with other companies in the same industry, which are forecast to see revenue growth of 9.6% annually. So it's clear that despite the acceleration in growth, El Pollo Loco Holdings is expected to grow meaningfully slower than the industry average.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing here is that the analysts upgraded their earnings per share estimates, suggesting that there has been a clear increase in optimism towards El Pollo Loco Holdings following these results. Fortunately, the analysts also reconfirmed their revenue estimates, suggesting that it's tracking in line with expectations. Although our data does suggest that El Pollo Loco Holdings' revenue is expected to perform worse than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at US$14.00, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

Keeping that in mind, we still think that the longer term trajectory of the business is much more important for investors to consider. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for El Pollo Loco Holdings going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here..

Plus, you should also learn about the 1 warning sign we've spotted with El Pollo Loco Holdings .

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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.