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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
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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.
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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% |
| 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% |
| 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% |
| 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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.
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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.
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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% |
| 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% |
| 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
Segment breakdown not available.
OLPX
| Sales Channel Directly To Consumer | $43.6M | 42% |
| Sales Channel Through Intermediary Professional | $36.8M | 35% |
| Sales Channel Through Intermediary Specialty Retail | $24.7M | 23% |