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Side-by-side financial comparison of LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc (LEE) and El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($130.1M vs $123.5M, roughly 1.1× El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.). El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. runs the higher net margin — 5.3% vs -4.3%, a 9.6% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (8.1% vs -10.0%). El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($5.1M vs $3.7M). Over the past eight quarters, El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (3.1% CAGR vs -5.8%).
Lee Enterprises, Inc. is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 72 daily newspapers in 25 states, and more than 350 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by Alfred Wilson Lee and is based in Davenport, Iowa.
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.
LEE vs LOCO — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $130.1M | $123.5M |
| Net Profit | $-5.6M | $6.5M |
| Gross Margin | — | — |
| Operating Margin | 4.0% | 8.3% |
| Net Margin | -4.3% | 5.3% |
| Revenue YoY | -10.0% | 8.1% |
| Net Profit YoY | 66.5% | 9.9% |
| EPS (diluted) | $-0.92 | $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.
| Q4 25 | $130.1M | $123.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $139.1M | $121.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $141.3M | $125.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $137.4M | $119.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $144.6M | $114.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $158.6M | $120.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $150.6M | $122.2M | ||
| Q1 24 | $146.6M | $116.2M |
| Q4 25 | $-5.6M | $6.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-6.4M | $7.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-1.9M | $7.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-12.5M | $5.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-16.7M | $6.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-10.1M | $6.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-4.3M | $7.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-12.2M | $5.9M |
| Q4 25 | 4.0% | 8.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | -1.0% | 9.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.3% | 9.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | -3.3% | 7.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | -2.3% | 7.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | -2.3% | 8.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.3% | 10.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | -3.1% | 8.3% |
| Q4 25 | -4.3% | 5.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | -4.6% | 6.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | -1.4% | 5.6% | ||
| Q1 25 | -9.1% | 4.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | -11.6% | 5.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | -6.4% | 5.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | -2.8% | 6.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | -8.3% | 5.1% |
| Q4 25 | $-0.92 | $0.22 | ||
| Q3 25 | $-1.02 | $0.25 | ||
| Q2 25 | $-0.31 | $0.24 | ||
| Q1 25 | $-2.07 | $0.19 | ||
| Q4 24 | $-2.80 | $0.21 | ||
| Q3 24 | $-1.68 | $0.21 | ||
| Q2 24 | $-0.73 | $0.25 | ||
| Q1 24 | $-2.06 | $0.19 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $12.6M | $6.2M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | $51.0M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $-48.7M | $291.1M |
| Total Assets | $592.6M | $606.6M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | 0.18× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $12.6M | $6.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $10.0M | $10.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $14.1M | $9.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.7M | $4.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.1M | $2.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $9.6M | $7.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $13.4M | $10.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $16.1M | $9.1M |
| 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 | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $80.0M |
| Q4 25 | $-48.7M | $291.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-43.3M | $282.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-40.5M | $274.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-38.9M | $265.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-26.7M | $260.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-9.9M | $255.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.0M | $248.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $7.9M | $256.3M |
| Q4 25 | $592.6M | $606.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $601.7M | $602.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $622.7M | $596.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $623.9M | $590.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $633.0M | $592.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $649.2M | $590.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $677.5M | $593.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $684.8M | $598.0M |
| 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× | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 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 | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $4.5M | $13.9M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $3.7M | $5.1M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 2.9% | 4.1% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 0.6% | 7.1% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | 2.13× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $1.5M | $25.4M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $4.5M | $13.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-6.3M | $15.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $8.9M | $14.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-790.0K | $4.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-7.3M | $5.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-261.0K | $13.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-1.9M | $17.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $3.2M | $11.2M |
| Q4 25 | $3.7M | $5.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-8.3M | $9.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $8.3M | $9.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-2.2M | $1.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-8.9M | $1.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-2.9M | $9.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-5.5M | $10.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.3M | $7.0M |
| Q4 25 | 2.9% | 4.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | -6.0% | 8.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.9% | 7.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | -1.6% | 1.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | -6.1% | 1.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | -1.8% | 7.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | -3.6% | 8.5% | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.9% | 6.0% |
| Q4 25 | 0.6% | 7.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.4% | 4.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.4% | 4.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.0% | 2.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.1% | 3.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.7% | 3.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.4% | 5.3% | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.3% | 3.6% |
| Q4 25 | — | 2.13× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 2.08× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 1.99× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 0.86× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 0.95× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 2.11× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 2.22× | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 1.89× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
LEE
| Advertising And Marketing Services | $60.0M | 46% |
| Subscription And Circulation | $57.7M | 44% |
| Other | $12.4M | 10% |
LOCO
| Services | $102.4M | 83% |
| Franchise | $13.0M | 11% |
| Franchise Advertising Fee | $8.1M | 7% |
