vs
Side-by-side financial comparison of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) and Ouster, Inc. (OUST). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($123.5M vs $62.2M, roughly 2.0× Ouster, Inc.). On growth, Ouster, Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (106.6% vs 8.1%). El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($5.1M vs $-37.2M). Over the past eight quarters, Ouster, Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (54.8% CAGR vs 3.1%).
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.
Ouster, Inc. is an American lidar technology company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It builds high-resolution, digital 3D lidar sensors for use in autonomous vehicles, industrial, robotics, drones, mapping, defense, and security systems.
LOCO vs OUST — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $123.5M | $62.2M |
| Net Profit | $6.5M | — |
| Gross Margin | — | 60.2% |
| Operating Margin | 8.3% | 1.5% |
| Net Margin | 5.3% | — |
| Revenue YoY | 8.1% | 106.6% |
| Net Profit YoY | 9.9% | — |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.22 | $0.10 |
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 | $62.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $121.5M | $39.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $125.8M | $35.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $119.2M | $32.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $114.3M | $30.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $120.4M | $28.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $122.2M | $27.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $116.2M | $25.9M |
| Q4 25 | $6.5M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.4M | $-21.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.1M | $-20.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.5M | $-22.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.0M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $6.2M | $-25.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $7.6M | $-23.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $5.9M | $-23.8M |
| Q4 25 | — | 60.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 42.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 45.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 41.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 43.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 38.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 33.7% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 28.6% |
| Q4 25 | 8.3% | 1.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 9.4% | -61.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 9.0% | -76.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.5% | -73.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.9% | -85.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 8.4% | -98.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.1% | -93.6% | ||
| Q1 24 | 8.3% | -99.5% |
| Q4 25 | 5.3% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.1% | -55.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.6% | -58.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.6% | -67.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.2% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 5.1% | -91.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 6.2% | -88.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 5.1% | -91.9% |
| Q4 25 | $0.22 | $0.10 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.25 | $-0.37 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.24 | $-0.38 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.19 | $-0.42 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.21 | $-0.46 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.21 | $-0.54 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.25 | $-0.53 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.19 | $-0.55 |
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 | $208.6M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $51.0M | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $291.1M | $261.7M |
| Total Assets | $606.6M | $349.5M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.18× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $6.2M | $208.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $10.9M | $244.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.0M | $226.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.3M | $168.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.5M | $172.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $7.9M | $151.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $10.5M | $184.2M | ||
| Q1 24 | $9.1M | $187.8M |
| 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 | $261.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $282.9M | $247.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $274.2M | $221.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $265.7M | $167.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | $260.7M | $180.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $255.2M | $171.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $248.6M | $170.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $256.3M | $167.2M |
| Q4 25 | $606.6M | $349.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $602.7M | $353.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $596.8M | $321.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $590.5M | $268.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $592.0M | $276.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $590.0M | $255.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $593.8M | $309.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $598.0M | $317.7M |
| 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 | $-15.4M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $5.1M | $-37.2M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 4.1% | -59.8% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 7.1% | 35.0% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 2.13× | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $25.4M | $-64.8M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $13.9M | $-15.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $15.3M | $-18.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $14.1M | $-1.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.7M | $-4.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.6M | $-2.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $13.0M | $-3.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $17.0M | $-21.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $11.2M | $-5.7M |
| Q4 25 | $5.1M | $-37.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $9.9M | $-20.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.1M | $-2.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.3M | $-5.4M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1M | $-4.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $9.1M | $-4.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $10.4M | $-22.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $7.0M | $-7.1M |
| Q4 25 | 4.1% | -59.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | 8.2% | -50.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 7.2% | -6.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.1% | -16.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.0% | -13.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 7.6% | -15.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 8.5% | -81.5% | ||
| Q1 24 | 6.0% | -27.4% |
| Q4 25 | 7.1% | 35.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.4% | 4.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 4.0% | 2.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.8% | 1.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.9% | 4.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.2% | 2.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.3% | 1.3% | ||
| Q1 24 | 3.6% | 5.3% |
| 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
LOCO
| Services | $102.4M | 83% |
| Franchise | $13.0M | 11% |
| Franchise Advertising Fee | $8.1M | 7% |
OUST
Segment breakdown not available.
