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

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($126.2M vs $105.1M, roughly 1.2× OLAPLEX HOLDINGS, INC.). El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. runs the higher net margin — 6.5% vs -12.5%, a 18.9% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (5.9% vs 4.3%). Over the past eight quarters, OLAPLEX HOLDINGS, INC.'s revenue compounded faster (3.1% CAGR vs 1.6%).

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.

Olaplex Holdings, Inc. is a specialty beauty company developing and selling patented bond-repair hair care products. It runs three core segments: professional salon distribution, direct-to-consumer sales, and third-party retail, serving customers across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific with products that repair and protect damaged hair.

LOCO vs OLPX — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
LOCO
LOCO
1.2× larger
LOCO
$126.2M
$105.1M
OLPX
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
LOCO
LOCO
+1.5% gap
LOCO
5.9%
4.3%
OLPX
Higher net margin
LOCO
LOCO
18.9% more per $
LOCO
6.5%
-12.5%
OLPX
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
OLPX
OLPX
Annualised
OLPX
3.1%
1.6%
LOCO

Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Revenue
$126.2M
$105.1M
Net Profit
$8.2M
$-13.1M
Gross Margin
68.0%
Operating Margin
9.7%
-4.3%
Net Margin
6.5%
-12.5%
Revenue YoY
5.9%
4.3%
Net Profit YoY
48.8%
-48.9%
EPS (diluted)
$0.27
$-0.02

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
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
$126.2M
Q4 25
$123.5M
$105.1M
Q3 25
$121.5M
$114.6M
Q2 25
$125.8M
$106.3M
Q1 25
$119.2M
$97.0M
Q4 24
$114.3M
$100.7M
Q3 24
$120.4M
$119.1M
Q2 24
$122.2M
$103.9M
Net Profit
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
$8.2M
Q4 25
$6.5M
$-13.1M
Q3 25
$7.4M
$11.1M
Q2 25
$7.1M
$-7.7M
Q1 25
$5.5M
$465.0K
Q4 24
$6.0M
$-8.8M
Q3 24
$6.2M
$14.8M
Q2 24
$7.6M
$5.8M
Gross Margin
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
Q4 25
68.0%
Q3 25
69.1%
Q2 25
71.2%
Q1 25
69.5%
Q4 24
66.3%
Q3 24
68.6%
Q2 24
69.7%
Operating Margin
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
9.7%
Q4 25
8.3%
-4.3%
Q3 25
9.4%
3.7%
Q2 25
9.0%
-1.1%
Q1 25
7.5%
8.7%
Q4 24
7.9%
3.0%
Q3 24
8.4%
23.5%
Q2 24
10.1%
15.7%
Net Margin
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
6.5%
Q4 25
5.3%
-12.5%
Q3 25
6.1%
9.7%
Q2 25
5.6%
-7.3%
Q1 25
4.6%
0.5%
Q4 24
5.2%
-8.7%
Q3 24
5.1%
12.4%
Q2 24
6.2%
5.6%
EPS (diluted)
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
$0.27
Q4 25
$0.22
$-0.02
Q3 25
$0.25
$0.02
Q2 25
$0.24
$-0.01
Q1 25
$0.19
$0.00
Q4 24
$0.21
$-0.01
Q3 24
$0.21
$0.02
Q2 24
$0.25
$0.01

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$3.9M
$318.7M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$352.3M
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$302.5M
$879.4M
Total Assets
$609.1M
$1.5B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.40×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
$3.9M
Q4 25
$6.2M
$318.7M
Q3 25
$10.9M
$286.4M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$289.3M
Q1 25
$4.3M
$580.9M
Q4 24
$2.5M
$586.0M
Q3 24
$7.9M
$538.8M
Q2 24
$10.5M
$507.9M
Total Debt
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
Q4 25
$51.0M
$352.3M
Q3 25
$61.0M
$352.1M
Q2 25
$69.0M
$351.9M
Q1 25
$73.0M
$649.1M
Q4 24
$71.0M
$650.5M
Q3 24
$76.0M
$651.8M
Q2 24
$87.0M
$653.1M
Stockholders' Equity
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
$302.5M
Q4 25
$291.1M
$879.4M
Q3 25
$282.9M
$888.7M
Q2 25
$274.2M
$874.2M
Q1 25
$265.7M
$878.3M
Q4 24
$260.7M
$874.4M
Q3 24
$255.2M
$879.7M
Q2 24
$248.6M
$863.3M
Total Assets
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
$609.1M
Q4 25
$606.6M
$1.5B
Q3 25
$602.7M
$1.5B
Q2 25
$596.8M
$1.5B
Q1 25
$590.5M
$1.8B
Q4 24
$592.0M
$1.8B
Q3 24
$590.0M
$1.8B
Q2 24
$593.8M
$1.8B
Debt / Equity
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
Q4 25
0.18×
0.40×
Q3 25
0.22×
0.40×
Q2 25
0.25×
0.40×
Q1 25
0.27×
0.74×
Q4 24
0.27×
0.74×
Q3 24
0.30×
0.74×
Q2 24
0.35×
0.76×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

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

Metric
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$32.7M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$32.6M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
31.0%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
0.1%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$58.3M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
Q4 25
$13.9M
$32.7M
Q3 25
$15.3M
$8.0M
Q2 25
$14.1M
$20.9M
Q1 25
$4.7M
$-2.9M
Q4 24
$5.6M
$49.7M
Q3 24
$13.0M
$33.5M
Q2 24
$17.0M
$16.2M
Free Cash Flow
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
Q4 25
$5.1M
$32.6M
Q3 25
$9.9M
$7.9M
Q2 25
$9.1M
$20.8M
Q1 25
$1.3M
$-3.0M
Q4 24
$1.1M
$49.2M
Q3 24
$9.1M
$33.3M
Q2 24
$10.4M
$16.1M
FCF Margin
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
Q4 25
4.1%
31.0%
Q3 25
8.2%
6.9%
Q2 25
7.2%
19.6%
Q1 25
1.1%
-3.1%
Q4 24
1.0%
48.9%
Q3 24
7.6%
28.0%
Q2 24
8.5%
15.5%
Capex Intensity
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
Q4 25
7.1%
0.1%
Q3 25
4.4%
0.1%
Q2 25
4.0%
0.1%
Q1 25
2.8%
0.0%
Q4 24
3.9%
0.4%
Q3 24
3.2%
0.1%
Q2 24
5.3%
0.1%
Cash Conversion
LOCO
LOCO
OLPX
OLPX
Q1 26
Q4 25
2.13×
Q3 25
2.08×
0.72×
Q2 25
1.99×
Q1 25
0.86×
-6.27×
Q4 24
0.95×
Q3 24
2.11×
2.26×
Q2 24
2.22×
2.81×

Financial Flow Comparison

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

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

LOCO
LOCO

Segment breakdown not available.

OLPX
OLPX

Sales Channel Directly To Consumer$43.6M42%
Sales Channel Through Intermediary Professional$36.8M35%
Sales Channel Through Intermediary Specialty Retail$24.7M23%

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