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Side-by-side financial comparison of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) and Proto Labs Inc (PRLB). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Proto Labs Inc is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($139.3M vs $123.5M, roughly 1.1× El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.). Proto Labs Inc runs the higher net margin — 5.8% vs 5.3%, a 0.5% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Proto Labs Inc posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (10.4% vs 8.1%). Over the past eight quarters, Proto Labs Inc's revenue compounded faster (5.3% 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.
Protolabs is a company that provides rapid manufacturing of 3D printed, CNC-machined, sheet metal, and injection-molded custom parts for prototyping and production. Markets like medical devices, aerospace, electronics, appliances, automotive and consumer products use these parts. Protolabs' headquarters are located in Maple Plain, Minnesota, with Minnesota-based manufacturing facilities in Plymouth, Brooklyn Park, and Rosemount, along with additional facilities in Nashua, New Hampshire and Ca...
LOCO vs PRLB — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $123.5M | $139.3M |
| Net Profit | $6.5M | $8.1M |
| Gross Margin | — | 45.6% |
| Operating Margin | 8.3% | 7.1% |
| Net Margin | 5.3% | 5.8% |
| Revenue YoY | 8.1% | 10.4% |
| Net Profit YoY | 9.9% | 125.4% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.22 | $0.29 |
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 | — | $139.3M | ||
| Q4 25 | $123.5M | $136.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $121.5M | $135.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $125.8M | $135.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $119.2M | $126.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $114.3M | $121.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $120.4M | $125.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $122.2M | $125.6M |
| Q1 26 | — | $8.1M | ||
| Q4 25 | $6.5M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.4M | $7.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.1M | $4.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.5M | $3.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.0M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $6.2M | $7.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $7.6M | $4.5M |
| Q1 26 | — | 45.6% | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 44.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 45.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 44.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 44.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 42.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 45.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 45.0% |
| Q1 26 | — | 7.1% | ||
| Q4 25 | 8.3% | 5.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 9.4% | 6.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 9.0% | 3.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.5% | 3.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.9% | -1.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | 8.4% | 6.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.1% | 4.8% |
| Q1 26 | — | 5.8% | ||
| Q4 25 | 5.3% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.1% | 5.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.6% | 3.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.6% | 2.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.2% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 5.1% | 5.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | 6.2% | 3.6% |
| Q1 26 | — | $0.29 | ||
| Q4 25 | $0.22 | $0.25 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.25 | $0.30 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.24 | $0.18 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.19 | $0.15 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.21 | $-0.01 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.21 | $0.29 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.25 | $0.18 |
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 | $124.0M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $51.0M | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $291.1M | $683.1M |
| Total Assets | $606.6M | $778.6M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.18× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $124.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | $6.2M | $128.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $10.9M | $119.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.0M | $103.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.3M | $96.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.5M | $103.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $7.9M | $100.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $10.5M | $112.9M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| 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 26 | — | $683.1M | ||
| Q4 25 | $291.1M | $673.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $282.9M | $664.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $274.2M | $664.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $265.7M | $656.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $260.7M | $670.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | $255.2M | $680.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $248.6M | $685.2M |
| Q1 26 | — | $778.6M | ||
| Q4 25 | $606.6M | $763.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $602.7M | $756.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $596.8M | $743.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $590.5M | $737.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $592.0M | $743.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $590.0M | $753.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $593.8M | $758.2M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| 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× | — |
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 | $17.5M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $5.1M | — |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 4.1% | — |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 7.1% | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 2.13× | 2.16× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $25.4M | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $17.5M | ||
| Q4 25 | $13.9M | $16.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $15.3M | $29.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $14.1M | $10.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.7M | $18.4M | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.6M | $17.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $13.0M | $24.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $17.0M | $14.4M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $5.1M | $8.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $9.9M | $25.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.1M | $9.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.3M | $17.1M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1M | $16.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $9.1M | $23.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $10.4M | $10.2M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 4.1% | 6.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | 8.2% | 18.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 7.2% | 6.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.1% | 13.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.0% | 13.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 7.6% | 18.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 8.5% | 8.2% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 7.1% | 5.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.4% | 3.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 4.0% | 1.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.8% | 1.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.9% | 0.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.2% | 1.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.3% | 3.3% |
| Q1 26 | — | 2.16× | ||
| Q4 25 | 2.13× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.08× | 4.03× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.99× | 2.39× | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.86× | 5.11× | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.95× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.11× | 3.44× | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.22× | 3.18× |
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% |
PRLB
| CNC Machining | $63.2M | 45% |
| Injection Molding | $51.1M | 37% |
| 3D Printing | $20.5M | 15% |
| Sheet Metal | $4.4M | 3% |
| Other Revenue | $207.0K | 0% |
