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Side-by-side financial comparison of BLACKLINE, INC. (BL) and El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

BLACKLINE, INC. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($183.2M vs $126.2M, roughly 1.5× El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.). El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. runs the higher net margin — 6.5% vs 2.7%, a 3.8% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, BLACKLINE, INC. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (8.1% vs 5.9%). Over the past eight quarters, BLACKLINE, INC.'s revenue compounded faster (7.9% CAGR vs 1.6%).

BlackLine Systems, Inc., is an American enterprise software company that develops cloud-based services designed to automate and manage the entire financial close process as well as consolidation, invoice-to-cash, and intercompany accounting. The Los Angeles–based company has 17 offices worldwide.

El Pollo Loco, Inc., is a restaurant chain based in the United States, specializing in Mexican-style grilled chicken. Restaurant service consists of dine-in and take-out, with some locations offering drive-through options. The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, and operates about 500 company-owned and franchised restaurants in the Southwestern United States.

BL vs LOCO — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
BL
BL
1.5× larger
BL
$183.2M
$126.2M
LOCO
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
BL
BL
+2.2% gap
BL
8.1%
5.9%
LOCO
Higher net margin
LOCO
LOCO
3.8% more per $
LOCO
6.5%
2.7%
BL
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
BL
BL
Annualised
BL
7.9%
1.6%
LOCO

Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026

Metric
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Revenue
$183.2M
$126.2M
Net Profit
$4.9M
$8.2M
Gross Margin
75.2%
Operating Margin
3.7%
9.7%
Net Margin
2.7%
6.5%
Revenue YoY
8.1%
5.9%
Net Profit YoY
-91.3%
48.8%
EPS (diluted)
$0.07
$0.27

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
$126.2M
Q4 25
$183.2M
$123.5M
Q3 25
$178.3M
$121.5M
Q2 25
$172.0M
$125.8M
Q1 25
$166.9M
$119.2M
Q4 24
$169.5M
$114.3M
Q3 24
$165.9M
$120.4M
Q2 24
$160.5M
$122.2M
Net Profit
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
$8.2M
Q4 25
$4.9M
$6.5M
Q3 25
$5.3M
$7.4M
Q2 25
$8.3M
$7.1M
Q1 25
$6.1M
$5.5M
Q4 24
$56.4M
$6.0M
Q3 24
$17.2M
$6.2M
Q2 24
$76.7M
$7.6M
Gross Margin
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
Q4 25
75.2%
Q3 25
75.1%
Q2 25
75.2%
Q1 25
75.5%
Q4 24
75.6%
Q3 24
75.2%
Q2 24
74.9%
Operating Margin
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
9.7%
Q4 25
3.7%
8.3%
Q3 25
4.3%
9.4%
Q2 25
4.4%
9.0%
Q1 25
2.1%
7.5%
Q4 24
3.7%
7.9%
Q3 24
5.0%
8.4%
Q2 24
1.4%
10.1%
Net Margin
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
6.5%
Q4 25
2.7%
5.3%
Q3 25
3.0%
6.1%
Q2 25
4.8%
5.6%
Q1 25
3.6%
4.6%
Q4 24
33.3%
5.2%
Q3 24
10.4%
5.1%
Q2 24
47.8%
6.2%
EPS (diluted)
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
$0.27
Q4 25
$0.07
$0.22
Q3 25
$0.09
$0.25
Q2 25
$0.13
$0.24
Q1 25
$0.10
$0.19
Q4 24
$0.79
$0.21
Q3 24
$0.27
$0.21
Q2 24
$0.22
$0.25

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$390.0M
$3.9M
Total DebtLower is stronger
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$332.3M
$302.5M
Total Assets
$1.8B
$609.1M
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
$3.9M
Q4 25
$390.0M
$6.2M
Q3 25
$419.9M
$10.9M
Q2 25
$459.1M
$9.0M
Q1 25
$479.5M
$4.3M
Q4 24
$885.9M
$2.5M
Q3 24
$725.3M
$7.9M
Q2 24
$616.6M
$10.5M
Total Debt
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
Q4 25
$51.0M
Q3 25
$61.0M
Q2 25
$69.0M
Q1 25
$73.0M
Q4 24
$71.0M
Q3 24
$76.0M
Q2 24
$87.0M
Stockholders' Equity
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
$302.5M
Q4 25
$332.3M
$291.1M
Q3 25
$328.3M
$282.9M
Q2 25
$414.0M
$274.2M
Q1 25
$417.9M
$265.7M
Q4 24
$446.7M
$260.7M
Q3 24
$367.9M
$255.2M
Q2 24
$325.8M
$248.6M
Total Assets
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
$609.1M
Q4 25
$1.8B
$606.6M
Q3 25
$1.7B
$602.7M
Q2 25
$1.8B
$596.8M
Q1 25
$1.8B
$590.5M
Q4 24
$1.8B
$592.0M
Q3 24
$1.7B
$590.0M
Q2 24
$1.9B
$593.8M
Debt / Equity
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
Q4 25
0.18×
Q3 25
0.22×
Q2 25
0.25×
Q1 25
0.27×
Q4 24
0.27×
Q3 24
0.30×
Q2 24
0.35×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$26.7M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$26.1M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
14.2%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
0.3%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
5.46×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$161.5M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
Q4 25
$26.7M
$13.9M
Q3 25
$63.8M
$15.3M
Q2 25
$32.3M
$14.1M
Q1 25
$46.7M
$4.7M
Q4 24
$43.8M
$5.6M
Q3 24
$55.9M
$13.0M
Q2 24
$40.7M
$17.0M
Free Cash Flow
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
Q4 25
$26.1M
$5.1M
Q3 25
$63.3M
$9.9M
Q2 25
$31.4M
$9.1M
Q1 25
$40.8M
$1.3M
Q4 24
$43.0M
$1.1M
Q3 24
$55.5M
$9.1M
Q2 24
$40.0M
$10.4M
FCF Margin
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
Q4 25
14.2%
4.1%
Q3 25
35.5%
8.2%
Q2 25
18.2%
7.2%
Q1 25
24.4%
1.1%
Q4 24
25.4%
1.0%
Q3 24
33.5%
7.6%
Q2 24
24.9%
8.5%
Capex Intensity
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
Q4 25
0.3%
7.1%
Q3 25
0.3%
4.4%
Q2 25
0.6%
4.0%
Q1 25
3.6%
2.8%
Q4 24
0.4%
3.9%
Q3 24
0.2%
3.2%
Q2 24
0.4%
5.3%
Cash Conversion
BL
BL
LOCO
LOCO
Q1 26
Q4 25
5.46×
2.13×
Q3 25
12.07×
2.08×
Q2 25
3.90×
1.99×
Q1 25
7.72×
0.86×
Q4 24
0.78×
0.95×
Q3 24
3.24×
2.11×
Q2 24
0.53×
2.22×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

BL
BL

Subscription And Circulation$173.2M95%
Technology Service$10.0M5%

LOCO
LOCO

Segment breakdown not available.

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