=El Pollo Loco (LOCO) reported earnings on Thur 31 Oct 19 (a/h)

El Pollo Loco beats by $0.02, beats on revs

Reports Q3 (Sep) earnings of $0.20 per share, $0.02 better than the S&P Capital IQ Consensus of $0.18; revenues fell 0.1% year/year to $112.1 mln vs the $110.21 mln S&P Capital IQ Consensus.

System-wide comparable restaurant sales increased 1.1%, including a 1.6% increase for company-operated restaurants, and a 0.6% increase for franchised restaurants.

Restaurant contribution was $18.4 mln or 18.6% of company-operated restaurant revenue, compared to $18.3 mln, or 18.3% of company-operated restaurant revenue in 3Q18.

FY19 Outlook: Sees system-wide comparable restaurant sales growth of approximately 1.0-2.0%, expects to open 2-3 new company-owned restaurants and 2-3 new franchised restaurants.