EL POLLO LOCO HLDGS INC LOCO
COM · Common Stock · CUSIP 268603107
- SectorConsumer discretionary
- IndustryRetail-Eating Places
- HeadquartersCosta Mesa, CA
- FilingsSEC EDGAR
* Summed across managers. Shares that two managers' reports both contain – a subsidiary's holdings that its parent's report includes too, or a sub-adviser's in its client's – are counted once ($12.3m this quarter). Holder counts are more reliable. Shares outstanding: 30.4m as of 2026-08-03, from the company's own SEC filing; the percentage can still exceed 100%: lent-out shares are counted by the lender and the buyer, and some reports overlap without saying so. Implied quarter-end price ≈ $16.96. Options: 3 managers hold calls ($463.0k notional), 1 hold puts ($8.5k).
Trends to Q2 2026
Institutional holders
Managers reporting a position, each quarter
Numbers
| Quarter | Holders |
|---|---|
| Q3 2022 | 113 |
| Q4 2022 | 112 |
| Q1 2023 | 127 |
| Q2 2023 | 137 |
| Q3 2023 | 115 |
| Q4 2023 | 117 |
| Q1 2024 | 114 |
| Q2 2024 | 120 |
| Q3 2024 | 124 |
| Q4 2024 | 136 |
| Q1 2025 | 138 |
| Q2 2025 | 133 |
| Q3 2025 | 129 |
| Q4 2025 | 141 |
| Q1 2026 | 142 |
| Q2 2026 | 151 |
Buyers vs sellers
Managers adding to or starting a position, vs cutting or selling out
Numbers
| Quarter | Bought or added | Cut or sold out |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2024 | 59 | 62 |
| Q4 2024 | 63 | 56 |
| Q1 2025 | 61 | 64 |
| Q2 2025 | 71 | 68 |
| Q3 2025 | 62 | 58 |
| Q4 2025 | 73 | 57 |
| Q1 2026 | 70 | 70 |
| Q2 2026 | 88 | 54 |
Calls vs puts
Options held, notional value, last 4 quarters. P/C = puts ÷ calls
Numbers
| Quarter | Calls | Puts | P/C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2025 | $133.9k | $0 | 0.00 |
| Q4 2025 | $144.3k | $0 | 0.00 |
| Q1 2026 | $55.4k | $0 | 0.00 |
| Q2 2026 | $463.0k | $8.5k | 0.02 |
Biggest buyers
| First Eagle Investment Management, LLC | Added | +1.4m |
| Assenagon Asset Management S.A. | Added | +450.2k |
| Archon Capital Management LLC | Added | +306.2k |
| Qube Research & Technologies Ltd | New | +295.8k |
| UBS Group AG | Added | +284.4k |
| TWO SIGMA INVESTMENTS, LP | Added | +264.6k |
| GEODE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC | Added | +219.9k |
| Trexquant Investment LP | Added | +184.1k |
| BlackRock, Inc. | Added | +175.5k |
| ARROWSTREET CAPITAL, LIMITED PARTNERSHIP | Added | +174.8k |
Biggest sellers
| MARSHALL WACE, LLP | Reduced | -411.9k |
| Fund 1 Investments, LLC | Sold out | -407.3k |
| SEI INVESTMENTS CO | Reduced | -339.0k |
| JANE STREET GROUP, LLC | Reduced | -253.8k |
| BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. | Reduced | -222.6k |
| HOTCHKIS & WILEY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC | Reduced | -154.1k |
| Balyasny Asset Management L.P. | Sold out | -85.8k |
| BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. | Sold out | -74.2k |
| PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL INC | Reduced | -69.0k |
| Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd | Sold out | -46.2k |
Biggest calls
| SUSQUEHANNA INTERNATIONAL GROUP, LLP | New | $454.5k26.8k shares |
| GROUP ONE TRADING LLC | New | $5.1k300 shares |
| SIMPLEX TRADING, LLC | New | $3.4k200 shares |
Biggest puts
| SIMPLEX TRADING, LLC | New | $8.5k500 shares |
Options at notional value: the value of the shares the contracts control, as filers report them, not what the options cost. Not included in the holders, shares or buying above.
Major shareholders (over 5%)
Anyone who owns more than 5% of a class of the company's shares has to say so: on Schedule 13D if they may try to influence or control the company, on 13G if they're a passive investor, and update it as the stake changes. Each holder's latest filing, from 19 Dec 2024 on; percentages are of the share class, as the holder worked them out.
| Holder | Stake |
|---|---|
| BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. 13D · may seek influence -1.6 pts · filed 2026-07-02 | 13.5% |
| BlackRock, Inc. 13G · institution filed 2025-04-17 | 6.4% |
Fell to 5% or below in the last year: CapitalSpring Finance Company, LLC (3.8%, 2026-04-10)
Insider purchases and sales since 1 Apr 2026
Shares bought or sold by the company's own officers, directors and 10% owners, in the open market or privately, as they reported to the SEC on Form 4 (due within two business days of the trade). Grants, option exercises, shares withheld for tax and gifts aren't included.
Officers and directors buying vs selling
Number of people, by quarter (10% owners not included)
Numbers
| Quarter | Buying | Bought | Selling | Sold | Sold under a plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q4 2024 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Q1 2025 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Q2 2025 | 0 | — | 1 | $125.0k | $125.0k |
| Q3 2025 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Q4 2025 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Q1 2026 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Q2 2026 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Q3 2026 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Date | Insider | Trade | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-07 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By Biglari Reinsurance Ltd. | Sold | $9.4k550 shares |
| 2026-08-07 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By First Guard Insurance Company | Sold | $9.4k550 shares |
| 2026-08-05 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By Biglari Reinsurance Ltd. | Sold | $676.0k40.0k shares |
| 2026-08-05 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By First Guard Insurance Company | Sold | $676.0k40.0k shares |
| 2026-08-03 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By Biglari Reinsurance Ltd. | Sold | $167.3k10.0k shares |
| 2026-08-03 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By First Guard Insurance Company | Sold | $167.3k10.0k shares |
| 2026-07-30 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By Biglari Reinsurance Ltd. | Sold | $4.6k273 shares |
| 2026-07-30 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By First Guard Insurance Company | Sold | $4.6k273 shares |
| 2026-07-29 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By Biglari Reinsurance Ltd. | Sold | $55.2k3.3k shares |
| 2026-07-29 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By First Guard Insurance Company | Sold | $55.2k3.3k shares |
| 2026-07-17 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By The Lion Fund II, L.P. | Sold | $183.8k11.0k shares |
| 2026-07-16 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By The Lion Fund II, L.P. | Sold | $45.9k2.7k shares |
| 2026-07-15 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By The Lion Fund II, L.P. | Sold | $109.2k6.5k shares |
| 2026-07-14 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By The Lion Fund II, L.P. | Sold | $20.3k1.2k shares |
| 2026-07-13 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By The Lion Fund II, L.P. | Sold | $1.3m75.0k shares |
| 2026-07-02 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By The Lion Fund II, L.P. | Sold | $161.2k9.5k shares |
| 2026-07-01 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By The Lion Fund II, L.P. | Sold | $2.3m132.4k shares |
| 2026-06-30 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By The Lion Fund II, L.P. | Sold | $382.2k22.6k shares |
| 2026-06-29 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By The Lion Fund II, L.P. | Sold | $1.7m100.0k shares |
| 2026-06-26 | BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. +5 10% owner · By The Lion Fund II, L.P. | Sold | $1.7m100.0k shares |
Their holding: how much the trade added to or took from the insider's holding (direct, or the trust or fund named). The same trade is sometimes reported by more than one insider, such as a fund and the director who represents it; totals count it once. A value is left blank where the reported price is far from the market price (usually a typo).
Holders, Q2 2026
| Manager | Shares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| BIGLARI CAPITAL CORP. 5.36% of their portfolio | 3.8m $64.1m | Reduced -222.6k |
| BlackRock, Inc. 0.00% of their portfolio | 2.5m $41.7m | Added +175.5k |
| DIMENSIONAL FUND ADVISORS LP 0.01% of their portfolio | 2.0m $34.8m | Added +36.1k |
| First Eagle Investment Management, LLC 0.03% of their portfolio | 2.0m $33.8m | Added +1.4m |
| LSV ASSET MANAGEMENT 0.05% of their portfolio | 1.5m $25.0m | Added +14.7k |
| GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC 0.00% of their portfolio | 1.3m $21.3m | Added +164.9k |
| VANGUARD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 1.1m $18.8m | Added +18.8k |
| Tieton Capital Management, LLC 5.04% of their portfolio | 1.0m $17.5m | Reduced -23.6k |
| TWO SIGMA INVESTMENTS, LP 0.01% of their portfolio | 906.7k $15.4m | Added +264.6k |
| GEODE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 887.6k $15.1m | Added +219.9k |
| ARROWSTREET CAPITAL, LIMITED PARTNERSHIP 0.01% of their portfolio | 729.9k $12.4m | Added +174.8k |
| Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. 0.25% of their portfolio | 656.1k $11.1m | Added +72.3k |
| STATE STREET CORP 0.00% of their portfolio | 628.2k $10.7m | Added +21.9k |
| Assenagon Asset Management S.A. 0.01% of their portfolio | 603.0k $10.2m | Added +450.2k |
| BIGLARI, SARDAR 13.33% of their portfolio | 489.2k $8.3m | Unchanged |
| MONIMUS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LP 1.96% of their portfolio | 456.0k $7.7m | Added +17.7k |
| PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL INC 0.01% of their portfolio | 449.9k $7.6m | Reduced -69.0k |
| BRIDGEWAY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC 0.13% of their portfolio | 428.7k $7.3m | Added +4.5k |
| Archon Capital Management LLC 2.90% of their portfolio | 420.7k $7.1m | Added +306.2k |
| RENAISSANCE TECHNOLOGIES LLC 0.01% of their portfolio | 418.4k $7.1m | Added +112.2k |
| Divisadero Street Capital Management, LP 0.16% of their portfolio | 409.9k $7.0m | Reduced -22.4k |
| HOTCHKIS & WILEY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC 0.02% of their portfolio | 371.4k $6.3m | Reduced -154.1k |
| Rodgers Brothers Inc. 0.58% of their portfolio | 352.3k $6.0m | Reduced -9.2k |
| UBS Group AG 0.00% of their portfolio | 336.6k $5.7m | Added +284.4k |
| MORGAN STANLEY 0.00% of their portfolio | 316.2k $5.4m | Added +133.5k |
| SEI INVESTMENTS CO 0.00% of their portfolio | 296.4k $5.0m | Reduced -339.0k |
| Qube Research & Technologies Ltd 0.01% of their portfolio | 295.8k $5.0m | New |
| D. E. Shaw & Co., Inc. 0.00% of their portfolio | 287.6k $4.9m | Added +80.7k |
| VANGUARD PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 286.8k $4.9m | Added +81.4k |
| Empowered Funds, LLC 0.02% of their portfolio | 246.9k $4.2m | Reduced -231 |
| CHARLES SCHWAB INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC 0.00% of their portfolio | 223.1k $3.8m | Added +6.1k |
| NORTHERN TRUST CORP 0.00% of their portfolio | 222.0k $3.8m | Added +18.3k |
| Trexquant Investment LP 0.02% of their portfolio | 218.7k $3.7m | Added +184.1k |
| VANGUARD FIDUCIARY TRUST CO 0.00% of their portfolio | 174.9k $3.0m | Added +9.4k |
| BANK OF AMERICA CORP /DE/ 0.00% of their portfolio | 150.4k $2.6m | Reduced -38.8k |
| CITADEL ADVISORS LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 146.8k $2.5m | Added +61.1k |
| AQR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 143.7k $2.4m | Reduced -22.6k |
| Creative Planning 0.00% of their portfolio | 138.5k $2.3m | Added +24.0k |
| Universal- Beteiligungs- und Servicegesellschaft mbH 0.00% of their portfolio | 132.3k $2.2m | Added +12.2k |
| LAZARD ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 114.9k $1.9m | Added +4.2k |
| MARSHALL WACE, LLP 0.00% of their portfolio | 113.3k $1.9m | Reduced -411.9k |
| Bank of New York Mellon Corp 0.00% of their portfolio | 108.5k $1.8m | Added +12.9k |
| NORGES BANK 0.00% of their portfolio | 106.2k $1.8m | Not comparable |
| SUSQUEHANNA INTERNATIONAL GROUP, LLP 0.00% of their portfolio | 94.6k $1.6m | New |
| Quantinno Capital Management LP 0.00% of their portfolio | 85.3k $1.4m | Added +26.8k |
| Informed Momentum Co LLC 0.12% of their portfolio | 80.2k $1.4m | Reduced -3.3k |
| Aristides Capital LLC 0.35% of their portfolio | 79.8k $1.4m | New |
| MILLENNIUM MANAGEMENT LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 76.9k $1.3m | Added +44.6k |
| TUDOR INVESTMENT CORP ET AL 0.01% of their portfolio | 73.2k $1.2m | New |
| Boston Partners 0.00% of their portfolio | 72.4k $1.2m | Added +13.7k |
| SummerHaven Investment Management, LLC 0.63% of their portfolio | 69.7k $1.2m | Unchanged |
| NOMURA ASSET MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL INC. 0.00% of their portfolio | 69.4k $1.2m | Unchanged |
| Janney Montgomery Scott LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 68.3k $1.2m | Reduced -1.8k |
| Point72 Asset Management, L.P. 0.00% of their portfolio | 65.3k $1.1m | Reduced -8.2k |
| Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC 0.06% of their portfolio | 62.7k $1.1m | Reduced -1.9k |
| DEUTSCHE BANK AG\ 0.00% of their portfolio | 61.3k $1.0m | Added +22.6k |
| Sanctuary Advisors, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 56.0k $950.4k | Reduced -885 |
| Invesco Ltd. 0.00% of their portfolio | 55.9k $948.3k | Added +2.5k |
| GABELLI FUNDS LLC 0.01% of their portfolio | 55.0k $932.8k | Added +7.9k |
| Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 53.4k $905.0k | New |
| Nuveen, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 51.9k $880.1k | Added +5.5k |
| AMERICAN CENTURY COMPANIES INC 0.00% of their portfolio | 51.2k $868.8k | Added +2.9k |
| POLEN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC 0.01% of their portfolio | 46.4k $787.3k | Added +33.3k |
| BARCLAYS PLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 40.2k $682.2k | Reduced -529 |
| FULLER & THALER ASSET MANAGEMENT, INC. 0.00% of their portfolio | 38.6k $654.6k | Reduced -300 |
| STATE OF WISCONSIN INVESTMENT BOARD 0.00% of their portfolio | 38.3k $650.3k | Added +281 |
| OCCUDO QUANTITATIVE STRATEGIES LP 0.03% of their portfolio | 37.3k $633.1k | Added +23.8k |
| RHUMBLINE ADVISERS 0.00% of their portfolio | 35.5k $602.7k | Added +159 |
| AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL INC 0.00% of their portfolio | 34.8k $589.4k | Reduced -11.4k |
| ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN L.P. 0.00% of their portfolio | 34.4k $477.2k | Added +7.0k |
| CANADA PENSION PLAN INVESTMENT BOARD 0.00% of their portfolio | 32.7k $554.6k | Added +16.1k |
| WELLS FARGO & COMPANY/MN 0.00% of their portfolio | 32.5k $551.8k | Added +13.6k |
| JANE STREET GROUP, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 32.1k $544.8k | Reduced -253.8k |
| State of Wyoming 0.05% of their portfolio | 29.2k $495.2k | Added +22.9k |
| Headlands Technologies LLC 0.05% of their portfolio | 28.7k $486.2k | New |
| Watershed Asset Management, L.L.C. 0.43% of their portfolio | 28.6k $485.0k | Reduced -843 |
| FEDERATED HERMES, INC. 0.00% of their portfolio | 27.3k $462.6k | Reduced -249 |
| ALGERT GLOBAL LLC 0.01% of their portfolio | 27.1k $459.6k | Added +6.3k |
| PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP INC 0.00% of their portfolio | 27.1k $459.0k | New |
| PRICE T ROWE ASSOCIATES INC /MD/ 0.00% of their portfolio | 23.7k $402.0k | Added +4.1k |
| Connor, Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. 0.00% of their portfolio | 23.6k $400.2k | New |
| BAILARD, INC. 0.01% of their portfolio | 20.5k $347.7k | Added +4.5k |
| Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 20.1k $341.4k | Added +1.7k |
| Squarepoint Ops LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 18.9k $321.0k | Added +7.1k |
| ExodusPoint Capital Management, LP 0.00% of their portfolio | 17.9k $303.6k | New |
| XTX Topco Ltd 0.00% of their portfolio | 17.8k $301.3k | New |
| FRANKLIN RESOURCES INC 0.00% of their portfolio | 17.7k $300.9k | Unchanged |
| Focus Partners Wealth 0.00% of their portfolio | 17.1k $290.6k | New |
| MERCER GLOBAL ADVISORS INC /ADV 0.00% of their portfolio | 16.9k $286.6k | Added +5.8k |
| Russell Investments Group, Ltd. 0.00% of their portfolio | 16.1k $272.4k | Added +12.9k |
| MetLife Investment Management, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 15.9k $270.1k | Added +628 |
| CITIGROUP INC 0.00% of their portfolio | 15.7k $266.8k | Added +11.9k |
| Semanteon Capital Management, LP 1.17% of their portfolio | 15.3k $259.8k | Added +3.1k |
| STIFEL FINANCIAL CORP 0.00% of their portfolio | 15.0k $254.4k | Reduced -18.6k |
| Man Group plc 0.00% of their portfolio | 14.9k $253.2k | New |
| MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. 0.00% of their portfolio | 13.3k $225.0k | Reduced -76 |
| JPMORGAN CHASE & CO 0.00% of their portfolio | 12.0k $198.4k | Added +269 |
| HSBC HOLDINGS PLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 11.9k $199.6k | Reduced -15.5k |
| LEVEL FOUR ADVISORY SERVICES, LLC 0.01% of their portfolio | 11.7k $198.5k | Reduced -268 |
| EVERGREEN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 11.0k $186.7k | Unchanged |