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Side-by-side financial comparison of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) and Mayville Engineering Company, Inc. (MEC). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Mayville Engineering Company, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($134.3M vs $123.5M, roughly 1.1× El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.). El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. runs the higher net margin — 5.3% vs -3.2%, a 8.5% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Mayville Engineering Company, Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (10.7% vs 8.1%). Mayville Engineering Company, Inc. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($10.2M vs $5.1M). Over the past eight quarters, El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (3.1% CAGR vs -8.8%).
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.
Mayville Engineering Company, Inc. is a U.S.-headquartered leading manufacturer of metal components, fabricated assemblies, and custom engineered solutions. It serves OEM clients across agriculture, construction, transportation, defense, and power sports markets, offering end-to-end services from prototyping to high-volume production for North America.
LOCO vs MEC — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $123.5M | $134.3M |
| Net Profit | $6.5M | $-4.4M |
| Gross Margin | — | 6.8% |
| Operating Margin | 8.3% | -4.1% |
| Net Margin | 5.3% | -3.2% |
| Revenue YoY | 8.1% | 10.7% |
| Net Profit YoY | 9.9% | -127.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.22 | $-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 | $123.5M | $134.3M | ||
| Q3 25 | $121.5M | $144.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $125.8M | $132.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $119.2M | $135.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $114.3M | $121.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $120.4M | $135.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $122.2M | $163.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $116.2M | $161.3M |
| Q4 25 | $6.5M | $-4.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.4M | $-2.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.1M | $-1.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.5M | $20.0K | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.0M | $16.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $6.2M | $3.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $7.6M | $3.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $5.9M | $3.2M |
| Q4 25 | — | 6.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 11.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 10.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 11.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 8.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 12.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 13.6% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 13.0% |
| Q4 25 | 8.3% | -4.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 9.4% | 0.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 9.0% | 0.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.5% | 1.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.9% | 19.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 8.4% | 4.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.1% | 5.0% | ||
| Q1 24 | 8.3% | 4.7% |
| Q4 25 | 5.3% | -3.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.1% | -1.9% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.6% | -0.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.6% | 0.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.2% | 13.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | 5.1% | 2.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 6.2% | 2.3% | ||
| Q1 24 | 5.1% | 2.0% |
| Q4 25 | $0.22 | $-0.22 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.25 | $-0.13 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.24 | $-0.05 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.19 | $0.00 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.21 | $0.76 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.21 | $0.14 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.25 | $0.18 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.19 | $0.16 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $6.2M | $1.5M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $51.0M | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $291.1M | $240.7M |
| Total Assets | $606.6M | $563.6M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.18× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $6.2M | $1.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $10.9M | $1.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.0M | $206.0K | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.3M | $183.0K | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.5M | $206.0K | ||
| Q3 24 | $7.9M | $178.0K | ||
| Q2 24 | $10.5M | $314.0K | ||
| Q1 24 | $9.1M | $314.0K |
| 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 | $291.1M | $240.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $282.9M | $244.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $274.2M | $246.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $265.7M | $250.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $260.7M | $251.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $255.2M | $238.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $248.6M | $238.1M | ||
| Q1 24 | $256.3M | $234.0M |
| Q4 25 | $606.6M | $563.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $602.7M | $585.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $596.8M | $433.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $590.5M | $447.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $592.0M | $445.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $590.0M | $466.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $593.8M | $488.2M | ||
| Q1 24 | $598.0M | $499.9M |
| 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 | $13.9M | $13.4M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $5.1M | $10.2M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 4.1% | 7.6% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 7.1% | 2.4% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 2.13× | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $25.4M | $26.9M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $13.9M | $13.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $15.3M | $1.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $14.1M | $15.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.7M | $8.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.6M | $38.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $13.0M | $17.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $17.0M | $23.3M | ||
| Q1 24 | $11.2M | $10.6M |
| Q4 25 | $5.1M | $10.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $9.9M | $-1.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.1M | $12.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.3M | $5.4M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1M | $35.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $9.1M | $15.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $10.4M | $19.2M | ||
| Q1 24 | $7.0M | $7.8M |
| Q4 25 | 4.1% | 7.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 8.2% | -0.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 7.2% | 9.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.1% | 4.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.0% | 29.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 7.6% | 11.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 8.5% | 11.7% | ||
| Q1 24 | 6.0% | 4.9% |
| Q4 25 | 7.1% | 2.4% | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.4% | 2.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 4.0% | 1.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.8% | 2.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.9% | 1.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.2% | 2.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.3% | 2.5% | ||
| Q1 24 | 3.6% | 1.7% |
| Q4 25 | 2.13× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.08× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.99× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.86× | 416.65× | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.95× | 2.38× | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.11× | 6.03× | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.22× | 6.15× | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.89× | 3.28× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
LOCO
| Services | $102.4M | 83% |
| Franchise | $13.0M | 11% |
| Franchise Advertising Fee | $8.1M | 7% |
MEC
| Fabrication | $72.2M | 54% |
| Construction And Access | $19.2M | 14% |
| Tubes | $16.2M | 12% |
| Other Market | $11.9M | 9% |
| Agriculture | $7.7M | 6% |
| Military | $6.7M | 5% |
| Outdoor Sports | $1.7M | 1% |
