CMG vs LOCO vs QSR Stock Comparison

Chipotle Mexican Grill, El Pollo Loco Holdings and Restaurant Brands International Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CMG Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc
$28.78 -9.7% 1M -28.5% 1Y
Market cap
$36.42B
P/E
26.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.71B
Div. yield
–
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
2 wins
LOCO El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.
$15.01 +6.5% 1M +57.2% 1Y
Market cap
$456.91M
P/E
12.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$500.79M
Div. yield
–
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
5 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

El Pollo Loco Holdings leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (El Pollo Loco Holdings 5, Restaurant Brands International 4, Chipotle Mexican Grill 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCMGLOCOQSRLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $36.42B $456.91M $26.02B CMG
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 26.7x 12.8x 20.4x LOCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 26.9x 15.5x 18.8x LOCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.9% +4.4% +6.5% CMG
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months — 7.0% 13.1% QSR
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 10.8% 12.1% QSR
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 0.2x 4.2x LOCO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — 0.00% 3.45% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -28.5% +57.2% +11.7% LOCO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -4.2%/yr +0.4%/yr +5.6%/yr QSR
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 44.9% 37.0% 24.9% QSR
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 43/100 59/100 53/100 LOCO

Percentile Scorecard

CMGLOCOQSR

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCMGLOCOQSR
Valuation 14 #43 of 50 88 #7 of 50 45 #28 of 50
Growth 41 #28 of 47 83 #9 of 47 63 #18 of 47
Profitability 64 #17 of 46 58 #20 of 46 69 #15 of 46
Financial Health 52 #25 of 51 68 #17 of 51 30 #36 of 51
Shareholder Returns – 0 #32 of 32 58 #14 of 32
Overall 43 59 53
  • CMG ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • LOCO ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • QSR ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCMGLOCOQSRSPY
1 month -9.7%+6.5%+4.3% +0.9%
3 months -15.9%-9.2%-1.4% +5.9%
6 months -12.8%+10.4%-5.3% +8.5%
Year to date -22.2%+43.5%+9.2% +13.3%
1 year -28.5%+57.2%+11.7% +12.4%
3 years -23.8%+82.8%+13.1% +88.1%
3 years, per year -8.7%+22.3%+4.2% +23.5%
5 years -19.1%+2.1%+31.6% +68.2%
5 years, per year -4.2%+0.4%+5.6% +11.0%
10 years +288.9%+25.1%+71.0% +263.4%
10 years, per year +14.5%+2.3%+5.5% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureCMGLOCOQSRSPY
Volatility, 1Y 44.9%37.0%24.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 50.4%32.2%25.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.620.460.05 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.641.540.47 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -59.9%-47.2%-27.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -29.6%-12.7%-8.8% -0.9%
52-week high $40.87$17.20$81.67 $779.14
52-week low $27.51$9.06$65.69 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCMGLOCOQSR
P/E now vs peer median 26.7xmedian 20.8x 12.8xmedian 20.8x 20.4xmedian 20.8x
P/S now vs peer median 2.9xmedian 1.1x 0.9xmedian 1.1x 2.7xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median —median 13.0x 6.8xmedian 13.0x 13.0xmedian 13.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 25.7xmedian 17.6x 11.1xmedian 17.6x 15.9xmedian 17.6x
P/B now vs peer median 14.8xmedian 3.2x 1.4xmedian 3.2x 4.8xmedian 3.2x
PEG now vs peer median 3.18median 1.08 0.62median 1.08 2.70median 1.08

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCMGLOCOQSR
Revenue $12.71B $500.79M $9.70B
Gross profit – $161.41M $5.24B
Operating income $1.79B $52.67M $2.61B
Net income $1.38B $34.86M $1.70B
Free cash flow – $41.01M $1.63B
EPS (diluted) $1.08 $1.16 $2.77
Cash & equivalents $634.21M $13.30M $1.06B
Total debt – $186.00M $13.29B
Shares (diluted) 1.28B 30.09M 460.00M
Enterprise value $36.42B $422.58M $23.12B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCMGLOCOQSR
P/E 26.7x 12.8x 20.4x
P/FCF 25.7x 11.1x 15.9x
P/Operating cash flow 15.5x 6.2x 13.7x
P/S 2.9x 0.9x 2.7x
P/B 14.8x 1.4x 4.8x
P/Tangible book 14.8x 1.8x -4.7x
EV/EBITDA – 6.8x 13.0x
EV/EBIT – 9.0x 14.7x
EV/Revenue 2.9x 0.9x 3.9x
EV/FCF – 11.5x 23.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 15.5x 6.4x 20.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.18 0.62 2.70

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCMGLOCOQSR
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.9% 4.4% 6.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 10.1% 2.0% 12.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – 8.4% 5.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – 8.3% 6.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) -7.1% 33.5% 22.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.4% 14.6% 11.0%
Net income growth (1Y) -10.4% 41.0% 41.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 14.0% 4.4%
EPS growth (1Y) -6.1% 37.1% 47.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 8.4% 20.7% 7.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 6.0% 97.0% 19.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.9% 15.1% 13.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) – 98.0% 20.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 13.3% 11.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCMGLOCOQSR
Gross margin – 32.2% 54.0%
EBITDA margin – 13.9% 30.3%
Operating margin – 10.5% 26.9%
Pretax margin – 9.8% 21.7%
Net margin – 7.0% 13.1%
FCF margin – 8.2% 16.8%
Operating cash flow margin 18.5% 14.8% 19.6%
Return on equity – 11.2% 31.8%
Return on assets – 5.7% 6.8%
Return on invested capital – 10.8% 12.1%
Return on capital employed – 9.9% 11.5%
Asset turnover 1.4x 0.8x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.7x 2.1x 1.1x
Stock comp / revenue 0.9% 1.1% 1.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCMGLOCOQSR
Debt / assets – 4.8% 53.1%
Debt / equity – 0.1x 2.5x
Net debt / EBITDA – 0.2x 4.2x
Debt / FCF – 0.7x 8.1x
Liabilities / assets 74.0% 48.8% 78.4%
Equity / assets 26.0% 51.2% 21.6%
Interest coverage – 14.9x –
Current ratio 0.8x 0.4x 1.0x
Quick ratio – 0.3x 0.8x
Cash ratio – 0.2x 0.5x
Altman Z-score – 2.05 1.65

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCMGLOCOQSR
Dividend yield – – 3.4%
Net buyback yield – -0.7% 0.5%
Shareholder yield – -0.7% 3.9%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCMGLOCOQSR
Forward P/E 26.9xFY2026 15.5xFY2026 18.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.07FY2026 $0.97FY2026 $3.96FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -8.5%FY2026 -1.0%FY2026 +7.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +19.6% +22.7% +8.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $13.54BFY2026 $481.37MFY2026 $10.27BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +13.5%FY2026 -1.8%FY2026 +8.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +9.7% +6.1% -10.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCMGLOCOQSR
Held by institutions 89.5% 93.3% 92.2%
Institutions holding 1,197 152 575
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.3% +7.1% +6.5%
Institutions buying 510 89 319
Institutions selling 527 42 165
Buyers to sellers 0.97 2.12 1.93

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CMGLOCOQSR
CMG 1.00 0.38 0.29
LOCO 0.38 1.00 0.28
QSR 0.29 0.28 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CMG, LOCO and QSR?

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) is the largest by market capitalisation: Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) $36.42B, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) $456.91M, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) $26.02B.

Which stock is cheaper, CMG, LOCO and QSR?

El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) 26.7x, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 12.8x, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) 20.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) is cheapest (Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) 26.9x, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 15.5x, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) 18.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) +7.9%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +4.4%, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) +6.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Restaurant Brands International (QSR) has the highest net margin (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 7.0%, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) 13.1%). On return on invested capital, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) leads (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 10.8%, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) 12.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) returned the most: Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) -28.5%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +57.2%, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) +11.7%. Over five years, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) compounded fastest (Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) -4.2%/yr, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +0.4%/yr, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) +5.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 0.00%, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) 3.45%. Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) has been the steadiest (Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) 44.9%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 37.0%, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) 24.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CMG, LOCO and QSR?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.