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Side-by-side financial comparison of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) and DOUGLAS DYNAMICS, INC (PLOW). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
DOUGLAS DYNAMICS, INC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($184.5M vs $123.5M, roughly 1.5× El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.). DOUGLAS DYNAMICS, INC runs the higher net margin — 7.0% vs 5.3%, a 1.7% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, DOUGLAS DYNAMICS, INC posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (28.6% vs 8.1%). DOUGLAS DYNAMICS, INC produced more free cash flow last quarter ($92.8M vs $5.1M). Over the past eight quarters, DOUGLAS DYNAMICS, INC's revenue compounded faster (38.9% 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.
General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American industrial and technology company based in Reston, Virginia. It is primarily a developer and producer of advanced military equipment of a wide variety, such as nuclear submarines, main battle tanks, and armoured fighting vehicles. It is also the manufacturer of the civilian aviation Gulfstream business jets and a provider of information technology services. The company is the 3rd largest of the top 100 contractors of the U.S. federal government...
LOCO vs PLOW — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $123.5M | $184.5M |
| Net Profit | $6.5M | $12.8M |
| Gross Margin | — | 26.1% |
| Operating Margin | 8.3% | 10.5% |
| Net Margin | 5.3% | 7.0% |
| Revenue YoY | 8.1% | 28.6% |
| Net Profit YoY | 9.9% | 62.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.22 | $0.54 |
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 | $184.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $121.5M | $162.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $125.8M | $194.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $119.2M | $115.1M | ||
| Q4 24 | $114.3M | $143.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $120.4M | $129.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $122.2M | $199.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $116.2M | $95.7M |
| Q4 25 | $6.5M | $12.8M | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.4M | $8.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.1M | $26.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.5M | $148.0K | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.0M | $7.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $6.2M | $32.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $7.6M | $24.3M | ||
| Q1 24 | $5.9M | $-8.4M |
| Q4 25 | — | 26.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 23.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 31.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 24.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 24.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 23.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 30.7% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 19.8% |
| Q4 25 | 8.3% | 10.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 9.4% | 8.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 9.0% | 19.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.5% | 2.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.9% | 9.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 8.4% | 35.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.1% | 18.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | 8.3% | -6.7% |
| Q4 25 | 5.3% | 7.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.1% | 4.9% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.6% | 13.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.6% | 0.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.2% | 5.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 5.1% | 24.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 6.2% | 12.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | 5.1% | -8.7% |
| Q4 25 | $0.22 | $0.54 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.25 | $0.33 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.24 | $1.09 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.19 | $0.00 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.21 | $0.35 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.21 | $1.36 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.25 | $1.02 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.19 | $-0.37 |
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 | — |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $51.0M | $144.0M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $291.1M | $281.4M |
| Total Assets | $606.6M | $626.7M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.18× | 0.51× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $6.2M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $10.9M | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.0M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.3M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.5M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $7.9M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $10.5M | — | ||
| Q1 24 | $9.1M | — |
| Q4 25 | $51.0M | $144.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $61.0M | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $69.0M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $73.0M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $71.0M | $147.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $76.0M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $87.0M | — | ||
| Q1 24 | $80.0M | — |
| Q4 25 | $291.1M | $281.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $282.9M | $275.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $274.2M | $273.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $265.7M | $258.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | $260.7M | $264.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | $255.2M | $260.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $248.6M | $236.7M | ||
| Q1 24 | $256.3M | $217.2M |
| Q4 25 | $606.6M | $626.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $602.7M | $694.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $596.8M | $671.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $590.5M | $621.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $592.0M | $590.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $590.0M | $665.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $593.8M | $617.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $598.0M | $577.1M |
| Q4 25 | 0.18× | 0.51× | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.22× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.25× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.27× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.27× | 0.56× | ||
| 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 | $95.9M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $5.1M | $92.8M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 4.1% | 50.3% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 7.1% | 1.7% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 2.13× | 7.47× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $25.4M | $63.6M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $13.9M | $95.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $15.3M | $-8.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $14.1M | $-11.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.7M | $-1.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.6M | $74.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $13.0M | $-14.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $17.0M | $2.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $11.2M | $-21.6M |
| Q4 25 | $5.1M | $92.8M | ||
| Q3 25 | $9.9M | $-11.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.1M | $-14.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.3M | $-3.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1M | $70.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | $9.1M | $-15.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $10.4M | $836.0K | ||
| Q1 24 | $7.0M | $-22.4M |
| Q4 25 | 4.1% | 50.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 8.2% | -7.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 7.2% | -7.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.1% | -3.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.0% | 48.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 7.6% | -11.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 8.5% | 0.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 6.0% | -23.4% |
| Q4 25 | 7.1% | 1.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.4% | 1.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 4.0% | 1.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.8% | 1.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.9% | 2.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.2% | 0.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.3% | 0.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | 3.6% | 0.8% |
| Q4 25 | 2.13× | 7.47× | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.08× | -1.07× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.99× | -0.44× | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.86× | -9.03× | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.95× | 9.41× | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.11× | -0.44× | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.22× | 0.10× | ||
| 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% |
PLOW
| Work Truck Solutions | $101.5M | 55% |
| Transferred At Point In Time | $83.1M | 45% |