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

Ecovyst Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($199.4M vs $123.5M, roughly 1.6× El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.). On growth, Ecovyst Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (34.0% vs 8.1%). Ecovyst Inc. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($22.9M vs $5.1M). Over the past eight quarters, Ecovyst Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (18.7% CAGR vs 3.1%).

Ecovyst Inc. is a global sustainable specialty materials provider that develops and manufactures high-performance catalysts and functional additives. Its offerings serve key segments including industrial manufacturing, consumer goods, and environmental protection, helping clients improve operational efficiency and lower carbon emissions across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific markets.

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.

ECVT vs LOCO — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
ECVT
ECVT
1.6× larger
ECVT
$199.4M
$123.5M
LOCO
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
ECVT
ECVT
+25.9% gap
ECVT
34.0%
8.1%
LOCO
More free cash flow
ECVT
ECVT
$17.9M more FCF
ECVT
$22.9M
$5.1M
LOCO
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
ECVT
ECVT
Annualised
ECVT
18.7%
3.1%
LOCO

Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Revenue
$199.4M
$123.5M
Net Profit
$6.5M
Gross Margin
23.4%
Operating Margin
10.9%
8.3%
Net Margin
5.3%
Revenue YoY
34.0%
8.1%
Net Profit YoY
9.9%
EPS (diluted)
$0.06
$0.22

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
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
$199.4M
$123.5M
Q3 25
$204.9M
$121.5M
Q2 25
$176.1M
$125.8M
Q1 25
$143.1M
$119.2M
Q4 24
$148.9M
$114.3M
Q3 24
$153.9M
$120.4M
Q2 24
$154.0M
$122.2M
Q1 24
$141.6M
$116.2M
Net Profit
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
$6.5M
Q3 25
$-79.3M
$7.4M
Q2 25
$6.0M
$7.1M
Q1 25
$-3.6M
$5.5M
Q4 24
$6.0M
Q3 24
$14.3M
$6.2M
Q2 24
$8.3M
$7.6M
Q1 24
$1.2M
$5.9M
Gross Margin
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
23.4%
Q3 25
25.4%
Q2 25
22.8%
Q1 25
13.3%
Q4 24
28.9%
Q3 24
29.3%
Q2 24
27.3%
Q1 24
23.5%
Operating Margin
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
10.9%
8.3%
Q3 25
13.8%
9.4%
Q2 25
9.0%
9.0%
Q1 25
-0.7%
7.5%
Q4 24
15.1%
7.9%
Q3 24
17.9%
8.4%
Q2 24
14.1%
10.1%
Q1 24
9.5%
8.3%
Net Margin
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
5.3%
Q3 25
-38.7%
6.1%
Q2 25
3.4%
5.6%
Q1 25
-2.5%
4.6%
Q4 24
5.2%
Q3 24
9.3%
5.1%
Q2 24
5.4%
6.2%
Q1 24
0.9%
5.1%
EPS (diluted)
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
$0.06
$0.22
Q3 25
$-0.69
$0.25
Q2 25
$0.05
$0.24
Q1 25
$-0.03
$0.19
Q4 24
$-0.26
$0.21
Q3 24
$0.12
$0.21
Q2 24
$0.07
$0.25
Q1 24
$0.01
$0.19

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$197.2M
$6.2M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$392.6M
$51.0M
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$603.4M
$291.1M
Total Assets
$1.3B
$606.6M
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.65×
0.18×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
$197.2M
$6.2M
Q3 25
$82.0M
$10.9M
Q2 25
$69.6M
$9.0M
Q1 25
$127.5M
$4.3M
Q4 24
$131.4M
$2.5M
Q3 24
$123.5M
$7.9M
Q2 24
$83.3M
$10.5M
Q1 24
$103.1M
$9.1M
Total Debt
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
$392.6M
$51.0M
Q3 25
$854.8M
$61.0M
Q2 25
$856.6M
$69.0M
Q1 25
$859.0M
$73.0M
Q4 24
$860.8M
$71.0M
Q3 24
$862.7M
$76.0M
Q2 24
$862.4M
$87.0M
Q1 24
$866.2M
$80.0M
Stockholders' Equity
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
$603.4M
$291.1M
Q3 25
$607.9M
$282.9M
Q2 25
$692.4M
$274.2M
Q1 25
$698.7M
$265.7M
Q4 24
$700.5M
$260.7M
Q3 24
$729.4M
$255.2M
Q2 24
$717.3M
$248.6M
Q1 24
$711.4M
$256.3M
Total Assets
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
$1.3B
$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
$1.8B
$590.0M
Q2 24
$1.8B
$593.8M
Q1 24
$1.8B
$598.0M
Debt / Equity
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
0.65×
0.18×
Q3 25
1.41×
0.22×
Q2 25
1.24×
0.25×
Q1 25
1.23×
0.27×
Q4 24
1.23×
0.27×
Q3 24
1.18×
0.30×
Q2 24
1.20×
0.35×
Q1 24
1.22×
0.31×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

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

Metric
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$41.8M
$13.9M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$22.9M
$5.1M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
11.5%
4.1%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
9.4%
7.1%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
2.13×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$69.9M
$25.4M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
$41.8M
$13.9M
Q3 25
$55.3M
$15.3M
Q2 25
$33.0M
$14.1M
Q1 25
$10.3M
$4.7M
Q4 24
$43.5M
$5.6M
Q3 24
$59.9M
$13.0M
Q2 24
$10.0M
$17.0M
Q1 24
$36.5M
$11.2M
Free Cash Flow
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
$22.9M
$5.1M
Q3 25
$53.2M
$9.9M
Q2 25
$7.8M
$9.1M
Q1 25
$-14.0M
$1.3M
Q4 24
$30.9M
$1.1M
Q3 24
$53.6M
$9.1M
Q2 24
$-9.3M
$10.4M
Q1 24
$19.1M
$7.0M
FCF Margin
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
11.5%
4.1%
Q3 25
26.0%
8.2%
Q2 25
4.4%
7.2%
Q1 25
-9.8%
1.1%
Q4 24
20.7%
1.0%
Q3 24
34.9%
7.6%
Q2 24
-6.1%
8.5%
Q1 24
13.5%
6.0%
Capex Intensity
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
9.4%
7.1%
Q3 25
1.0%
4.4%
Q2 25
14.4%
4.0%
Q1 25
16.9%
2.8%
Q4 24
8.5%
3.9%
Q3 24
4.1%
3.2%
Q2 24
12.5%
5.3%
Q1 24
12.3%
3.6%
Cash Conversion
ECVT
ECVT
LOCO
LOCO
Q4 25
2.13×
Q3 25
2.08×
Q2 25
5.52×
1.99×
Q1 25
0.86×
Q4 24
0.95×
Q3 24
4.21×
2.11×
Q2 24
1.20×
2.22×
Q1 24
29.90×
1.89×

Financial Flow Comparison

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

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

ECVT
ECVT

Industrial Mining Automotive$101.3M51%
Regeneration And Treatment Services$90.0M45%
Other$8.1M4%

LOCO
LOCO

Services$102.4M83%
Franchise$13.0M11%
Franchise Advertising Fee$8.1M7%

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