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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

Bigger by revenue
PLOW
PLOW
1.5× larger
PLOW
$184.5M
$123.5M
LOCO
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
PLOW
PLOW
+20.5% gap
PLOW
28.6%
8.1%
LOCO
Higher net margin
PLOW
PLOW
1.7% more per $
PLOW
7.0%
5.3%
LOCO
More free cash flow
PLOW
PLOW
$87.8M more FCF
PLOW
$92.8M
$5.1M
LOCO
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
PLOW
PLOW
Annualised
PLOW
38.9%
3.1%
LOCO

Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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.

Revenue
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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
Net Profit
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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
Gross Margin
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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%
Operating Margin
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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%
Net Margin
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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%
EPS (diluted)
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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.

Cash + ST Investments
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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
Total Debt
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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
Stockholders' Equity
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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
Total Assets
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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
Debt / Equity
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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.

Operating Cash Flow
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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
Free Cash Flow
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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
FCF Margin
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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%
Capex Intensity
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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%
Cash Conversion
LOCO
LOCO
PLOW
PLOW
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
LOCO

Services$102.4M83%
Franchise$13.0M11%
Franchise Advertising Fee$8.1M7%

PLOW
PLOW

Work Truck Solutions$101.5M55%
Transferred At Point In Time$83.1M45%

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