LOCO vs YUM vs LKNCY Stock Comparison

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Yum Brands and Luckin Coffee Prices as of Nov 2, 2026 Peers: Industry group
LOCO El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.
$15.57 +9.5% 1M +52.3% 1Y
Market cap
$473.95M
P/E
13.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$500.79M
Div. yield
–
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
2 wins
YUM Yum Brands Inc
$157.50 +15.7% 1M +14.0% 1Y
Market cap
$42.98B
P/E
19.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.72B
Div. yield
1.88%
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
4 wins
LKNCY Luckin Coffee Inc.
$31.38 -5.5% 1M -21.7% 1Y
Market cap
$8.47B
P/E
19.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.04B
Div. yield
–
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
5 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

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

QuestionLOCOYUMLKNCYLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $473.95M $42.98B $8.47B YUM
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 13.3x 19.5x 19.2x LOCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 16.1x 25.0x 14.5x LKNCY
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +4.4% +10.3% +40.7% LKNCY
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 7.0% 25.4% 6.5% YUM
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 10.8% 54.9% — YUM
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.2x 3.9x -2.2x LKNCY
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 1.88% — –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +52.3% +14.0% -21.7% LOCO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +0.9%/yr +4.9%/yr +15.7%/yr LKNCY
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 34.8% 25.6% 43.3% YUM
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 59/100 51/100 81/100 LKNCY

Percentile Scorecard

LOCOYUMLKNCY

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

AxisLOCOYUMLKNCY
Valuation 90 #6 of 50 22 #39 of 50 74 #14 of 50
Growth 79 #11 of 48 60 #20 of 48 87 #7 of 48
Profitability 57 #21 of 47 98 #2 of 47 76 #12 of 47
Financial Health 68 #17 of 51 16 #43 of 51 86 #8 of 51
Shareholder Returns 0 #33 of 33 59 #14 of 33 –
Overall 59 51 81
  • LOCO ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • YUM ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • LKNCY ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodLOCOYUMLKNCYSPY
1 month +9.5%+15.7%-5.5% -2.3%
3 months -5.9%+5.8%-15.4% -0.7%
6 months +19.8%+2.0%-7.0% +4.8%
Year to date +48.9%+4.1%-6.3% +10.3%
1 year +52.3%+14.0%-21.7% +10.3%
3 years +77.3%+24.7%-7.1% +73.0%
3 years, per year +21.1%+7.6%-2.4% +20.1%
5 years +4.5%+27.0%+107.5% +61.9%
5 years, per year +0.9%+4.9%+15.7% +10.1%
10 years +29.8%+163.8%— +258.6%
10 years, per year +2.6%+10.2%— +13.6%

Risk

MeasureLOCOYUMLKNCYSPY
Volatility, 1Y 34.8%25.6%43.3% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.5%25.2%37.6% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.390.000.39 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.500.55-0.50 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -47.2%-24.2%-58.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -9.5%-6.3%-22.1% -3.5%
52-week high $17.20$168.16$40.30 $779.14
52-week low $10.07$135.80$27.67 $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.

MultipleLOCOYUMLKNCY
P/E now vs peer median 13.3xmedian 21.4x 19.5xmedian 21.4x 19.2xmedian 21.4x
P/S now vs peer median 0.9xmedian 1.1x 4.9xmedian 1.1x 1.1xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 7.1xmedian 13.8x 18.6xmedian 13.8x 13.8xmedian 13.8x
P/FCF now vs peer median 11.6xmedian 17.5x 25.6xmedian 17.5x 9.7xmedian 17.5x
P/B now vs peer median 1.5xmedian 3.1x -6.0xmedian 3.1x 3.5xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 0.64median 0.96 1.13median 0.96 0.98median 0.96

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 monthsLOCOYUMLKNCY
Revenue $500.79M $8.72B $8.04B
Gross profit $161.41M $5.94B $4.93B
Operating income $52.67M $2.70B $782.17M
Net income $34.86M $2.22B $545.06M
Free cash flow $41.01M $1.68B $871.30M
EPS (diluted) $1.16 $8.00 $1.63
Cash & equivalents $13.30M $674.00M $1.14B
Total debt $30.00M $12.28B $286.11M
Shares (diluted) 30.09M 277.00M 321.02M
Enterprise value $439.63M $39.86B $4.73B

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
MetricLOCOYUMLKNCY
P/E 13.3x 19.5x 19.2x
P/FCF 11.6x 25.6x 9.7x
P/Operating cash flow 6.4x 20.6x 9.7x
P/S 0.9x 4.9x 1.1x
P/B 1.5x -6.0x 3.5x
P/Tangible book 1.9x -5.4x 3.5x
EV/EBITDA 7.1x 18.6x 13.8x
EV/EBIT 9.3x 20.2x 9.3x
EV/Revenue 1.0x 6.3x 0.9x
EV/FCF 12.0x 32.5x 8.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 6.6x 26.2x 8.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.64 1.13 0.98

Growth

14 metrics
MetricLOCOYUMLKNCY
Revenue growth (1Y) 4.4% 10.3% 40.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 2.0% 7.7% 46.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.4% 6.5% 41.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.3% 4.3% 46.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 33.5% 10.5% 12.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 14.6% 6.8% 26.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 41.0% 54.8% -0.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 14.0% 16.0% 20.7%
EPS growth (1Y) 37.1% 57.1% -4.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 20.7% 17.3% 19.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 97.0% 13.6% -2.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 15.1% 9.6% 27.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 98.0% 9.5% -2.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.3% 9.5% 27.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricLOCOYUMLKNCY
Gross margin 32.2% 68.1% 61.3%
EBITDA margin 13.9% 33.7% 6.6%
Operating margin 10.5% 31.0% 9.7%
Pretax margin 9.8% 25.2% 10.0%
Net margin 7.0% 25.4% 6.5%
FCF margin 8.2% 19.3% 10.8%
Operating cash flow margin 14.8% 23.9% 10.8%
Return on equity 11.2% – 22.7%
Return on assets 5.7% 26.2% 11.1%
Return on invested capital 10.8% 54.9% –
Return on capital employed 9.9% 65.1% 24.9%
Asset turnover 0.8x 1.0x 1.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.1x 0.9x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 1.1% 0.8% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricLOCOYUMLKNCY
Debt / assets 4.8% 141.4% 5.5%
Debt / equity 0.1x -1.7x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.2x 3.9x -2.2x
Debt / FCF 0.7x 7.3x 0.3x
Liabilities / assets 48.8% 181.9% 52.9%
Equity / assets 51.2% -81.9% 47.1%
Interest coverage 14.9x – 3,082x
Current ratio 0.4x 0.6x 1.5x
Quick ratio 0.3x 0.3x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x 0.8x
Altman Z-score 2.08 2.33 4.05

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricLOCOYUMLKNCY
Dividend yield – 1.9% –
Net buyback yield -0.7% 2.1% –
Shareholder yield -0.7% 3.9% –
Payout ratio (earnings) – 36.4% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 48.1% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 4.8% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 6.9% –

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.

ConsensusLOCOYUMLKNCY
Forward P/E 16.1xFY2026 25.0xFY2026 14.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.97FY2026 $6.29FY2026 $2.16FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -1.0%FY2026 +4.0%FY2026 +35.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +22.7% +16.7% +28.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $481.37MFY2026 $9.06BFY2026 $9.64BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -1.8%FY2026 +10.3%FY2026 +36.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +6.1% -4.0% +20.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersLOCOYUMLKNCY
Held by institutions 93.3% 88.7% 0.0%
Institutions holding 152 1,437 9
Change in shares held, QoQ +7.1% +3.6% +880.6%
Institutions buying 89 627 5
Institutions selling 42 488 0
Buyers to sellers 2.12 1.28 –

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.

LOCOYUMLKNCY
LOCO 1.00 0.28 0.02
YUM 0.28 1.00 0.08
LKNCY 0.02 0.08 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, LOCO, YUM and LKNCY?

Yum Brands (YUM) is the largest by market capitalisation: El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) $473.95M, Yum Brands (YUM) $42.98B, Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) $8.47B.

Which stock is cheaper, LOCO, YUM and LKNCY?

El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 13.3x, Yum Brands (YUM) 19.5x, Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) 19.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) is cheapest (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 16.1x, Yum Brands (YUM) 25.0x, Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) 14.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +4.4%, Yum Brands (YUM) +10.3%, Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) +40.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Yum Brands (YUM) has the highest net margin (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 7.0%, Yum Brands (YUM) 25.4%, Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) 6.5%). On return on invested capital, Yum Brands (YUM) leads (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 10.8%, Yum Brands (YUM) 54.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) returned the most: El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +52.3%, Yum Brands (YUM) +14.0%, Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) -21.7%. Over five years, Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) compounded fastest (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +0.9%/yr, Yum Brands (YUM) +4.9%/yr, Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) +15.7%/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%, Yum Brands (YUM) 1.88%. El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) and Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Yum Brands (YUM) has been the steadiest (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 34.8%, Yum Brands (YUM) 25.6%, Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) 43.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, LOCO, YUM and LKNCY?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) 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.