LOCO vs YUM Stock Comparison

El Pollo Loco Holdings and Yum Brands Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
LOCO El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.
$14.58 +3.5% 1M +54.1% 1Y
Market cap
$434.62M
P/E
12.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$500.79M
Div. yield
–
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
5 wins
YUM Yum Brands Inc
$149.39 +7.8% 1M +4.2% 1Y
Market cap
$41.09B
P/E
18.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.72B
Div. yield
0.02%
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
6 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Yum Brands leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Yum Brands 6, El Pollo Loco Holdings 5). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionLOCOYUMLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $434.62M $41.09B YUM
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 12.5x 18.5x LOCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 15.0x 23.8x LOCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +4.4% +10.3% YUM
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 7.0% 25.4% YUM
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 10.8% 54.9% YUM
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.2x 3.9x LOCO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +54.1% +4.2% LOCO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +0.0%/yr +3.5%/yr YUM
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 37.1% 25.5% YUM
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 60/100 52/100 LOCO

Percentile Scorecard

LOCOYUM

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

AxisLOCOYUM
Valuation 90 #6 of 50 20 #40 of 50
Growth 83 #9 of 47 65 #17 of 47
Profitability 58 #20 of 46 98 #2 of 46
Financial Health 68 #17 of 51 16 #43 of 51
Shareholder Returns 0 #33 of 33 63 #13 of 33
Overall 60 52
  • LOCO ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • YUM ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodLOCOYUMSPY
1 month +3.5%+7.8% -0.8%
3 months -9.9%+1.1% +3.5%
6 months +5.7%-3.7% +7.0%
Year to date +39.4%-1.2% +12.2%
1 year +54.1%+4.2% +13.0%
3 years +77.6%+25.1% +86.3%
3 years, per year +21.1%+7.7% +23.1%
5 years +0.1%+18.8% +68.6%
5 years, per year +0.0%+3.5% +11.0%
10 years +23.6%+142.4% +258.0%
10 years, per year +2.1%+9.3% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureLOCOYUMSPY
Volatility, 1Y 37.1%25.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 32.2%25.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.450.01 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.460.17 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -47.2%-24.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -15.2%-11.2% -1.8%
52-week high $17.20$168.16 $779.14
52-week low $9.06$135.80 $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.

MultipleLOCOYUM
P/E now vs peer median 12.4xmedian 20.5x 18.5xmedian 20.5x
P/S now vs peer median 0.9xmedian 1.1x 4.7xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 6.6xmedian 13.3x 17.8xmedian 13.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 10.8xmedian 17.5x 24.3xmedian 17.5x
P/B now vs peer median 1.4xmedian 3.1x -5.7xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 0.60median 1.07 1.07median 1.07

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 monthsLOCOYUM
Revenue $500.79M $8.72B
Gross profit $161.41M $5.94B
Operating income $52.67M $2.70B
Net income $34.86M $2.22B
Free cash flow $41.01M $1.68B
EPS (diluted) $1.16 $8.00
Cash & equivalents $13.30M $674.00M
Total debt $186.00M $12.28B
Shares (diluted) 30.09M 277.00M
Enterprise value $400.29M $37.98B

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
MetricLOCOYUM
P/E 12.4x 18.5x
P/FCF 10.8x 24.3x
P/Operating cash flow 6.0x 19.6x
P/S 0.9x 4.7x
P/B 1.4x -5.7x
P/Tangible book 1.7x -5.2x
EV/EBITDA 6.6x 17.8x
EV/EBIT 8.7x 19.4x
EV/Revenue 0.9x 6.0x
EV/FCF 11.2x 31.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 6.2x 25.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.60 1.07

Growth

14 metrics
MetricLOCOYUM
Revenue growth (1Y) 4.4% 10.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 2.0% 7.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.4% 6.5%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.3% 4.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 33.5% 10.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 14.6% 6.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 41.0% 54.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 14.0% 16.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 37.1% 57.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 20.7% 17.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 97.0% 13.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 15.1% 9.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 98.0% 9.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.3% 9.5%

Profitability

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

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricLOCOYUM
Debt / assets 4.8% 141.4%
Debt / equity 0.1x -1.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.2x 3.9x
Debt / FCF 0.7x 7.3x
Liabilities / assets 48.8% 181.9%
Equity / assets 51.2% -81.9%
Interest coverage 14.9x –
Current ratio 0.4x 0.6x
Quick ratio 0.3x 0.3x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 2.02 2.24

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricLOCOYUM
Dividend yield – 2.0%
Net buyback yield -0.7% 2.2%
Shareholder yield -0.7% 4.2%
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.

ConsensusLOCOYUM
Forward P/E 15.0xFY2026 23.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.97FY2026 $6.29FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -1.0%FY2026 +4.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +22.7% +16.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $481.37MFY2026 $9.06BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -1.8%FY2026 +10.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +6.1% -4.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersLOCOYUM
Held by institutions 93.3% 88.7%
Institutions holding 152 1,435
Change in shares held, QoQ +7.1% +3.6%
Institutions buying 89 626
Institutions selling 42 488
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.

LOCOYUM
LOCO 1.00 0.26
YUM 0.26 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, LOCO and YUM?

Yum Brands (YUM) is the largest by market capitalisation: El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) $434.62M, Yum Brands (YUM) $41.09B.

Which stock is cheaper, LOCO and YUM?

El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 12.5x, Yum Brands (YUM) 18.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) is cheapest (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 15.0x, Yum Brands (YUM) 23.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

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

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%). 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) +54.1%, Yum Brands (YUM) +4.2%. Over five years, Yum Brands (YUM) compounded fastest (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +0.0%/yr, Yum Brands (YUM) +3.5%/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) 0.02%. El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 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) 37.1%, Yum Brands (YUM) 25.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Do LOCO and YUM move together?

Their daily returns over the past year have a correlation of 0.26, a weak relationship. Holding both diversifies more than two closely linked stocks would.

Which is the better stock, LOCO and YUM?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Yum Brands (YUM) leads on 6. 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.