vs

Side-by-side financial comparison of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) and Ribbon Communications Inc. (RBBN). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

Ribbon Communications Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($162.6M vs $123.5M, roughly 1.3× El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.). Ribbon Communications Inc. runs the higher net margin — 54.8% vs 5.3%, a 49.5% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (8.1% vs -10.3%). Over the past eight quarters, El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (3.1% CAGR vs -8.1%).

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.

Ribbon Communications Inc. is a public company that makes software, IP and optical networking solutions for service providers, enterprises and critical infrastructure sectors. The company was formed in 2017, following the merger of Genband and Sonus Networks and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.

LOCO vs RBBN — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
RBBN
RBBN
1.3× larger
RBBN
$162.6M
$123.5M
LOCO
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
LOCO
LOCO
+18.4% gap
LOCO
8.1%
-10.3%
RBBN
Higher net margin
RBBN
RBBN
49.5% more per $
RBBN
54.8%
5.3%
LOCO
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
LOCO
LOCO
Annualised
LOCO
3.1%
-8.1%
RBBN

Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026

Metric
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Revenue
$123.5M
$162.6M
Net Profit
$6.5M
$89.1M
Gross Margin
42.9%
Operating Margin
8.3%
37.6%
Net Margin
5.3%
54.8%
Revenue YoY
8.1%
-10.3%
Net Profit YoY
9.9%
EPS (diluted)
$0.22
$0.50

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
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
$162.6M
Q4 25
$123.5M
$227.3M
Q3 25
$121.5M
$215.4M
Q2 25
$125.8M
$220.6M
Q1 25
$119.2M
$181.3M
Q4 24
$114.3M
$251.4M
Q3 24
$120.4M
$210.2M
Q2 24
$122.2M
$192.6M
Net Profit
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
$89.1M
Q4 25
$6.5M
Q3 25
$7.4M
$-12.1M
Q2 25
$7.1M
$-11.1M
Q1 25
$5.5M
$-26.2M
Q4 24
$6.0M
Q3 24
$6.2M
$-13.4M
Q2 24
$7.6M
$-16.8M
Gross Margin
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
42.9%
Q4 25
53.3%
Q3 25
50.1%
Q2 25
49.6%
Q1 25
45.4%
Q4 24
55.7%
Q3 24
52.1%
Q2 24
50.8%
Operating Margin
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
37.6%
Q4 25
8.3%
4.1%
Q3 25
9.4%
1.3%
Q2 25
9.0%
1.9%
Q1 25
7.5%
-10.8%
Q4 24
7.9%
13.2%
Q3 24
8.4%
-0.4%
Q2 24
10.1%
-1.0%
Net Margin
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
54.8%
Q4 25
5.3%
Q3 25
6.1%
-5.6%
Q2 25
5.6%
-5.0%
Q1 25
4.6%
-14.5%
Q4 24
5.2%
Q3 24
5.1%
-6.4%
Q2 24
6.2%
-8.7%
EPS (diluted)
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
$0.50
Q4 25
$0.22
$0.50
Q3 25
$0.25
$-0.07
Q2 25
$0.24
$-0.06
Q1 25
$0.19
$-0.15
Q4 24
$0.21
$0.05
Q3 24
$0.21
$-0.08
Q2 24
$0.25
$-0.10

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$6.2M
$67.6M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$51.0M
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$291.1M
$419.1M
Total Assets
$606.6M
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.18×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
$67.6M
Q4 25
$6.2M
$96.4M
Q3 25
$10.9M
$74.8M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$60.5M
Q1 25
$4.3M
$71.2M
Q4 24
$2.5M
$87.8M
Q3 24
$7.9M
$37.2M
Q2 24
$10.5M
$64.6M
Total Debt
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
Q4 25
$51.0M
$342.1M
Q3 25
$61.0M
$344.3M
Q2 25
$69.0M
$346.5M
Q1 25
$73.0M
$347.4M
Q4 24
$71.0M
$348.3M
Q3 24
$76.0M
$349.1M
Q2 24
$87.0M
$350.0M
Stockholders' Equity
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
$419.1M
Q4 25
$291.1M
$449.0M
Q3 25
$282.9M
$360.1M
Q2 25
$274.2M
$370.4M
Q1 25
$265.7M
$381.8M
Q4 24
$260.7M
$404.6M
Q3 24
$255.2M
$395.5M
Q2 24
$248.6M
$405.0M
Total Assets
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
Q4 25
$606.6M
$1.2B
Q3 25
$602.7M
$1.1B
Q2 25
$596.8M
$1.1B
Q1 25
$590.5M
$1.1B
Q4 24
$592.0M
$1.2B
Q3 24
$590.0M
$1.1B
Q2 24
$593.8M
$1.1B
Debt / Equity
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
Q4 25
0.18×
0.76×
Q3 25
0.22×
0.96×
Q2 25
0.25×
0.94×
Q1 25
0.27×
0.91×
Q4 24
0.27×
0.86×
Q3 24
0.30×
0.88×
Q2 24
0.35×
0.86×

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
RBBN
RBBN
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$13.9M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$5.1M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
4.1%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
7.1%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
2.13×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$25.4M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
Q4 25
$13.9M
$29.2M
Q3 25
$15.3M
$26.5M
Q2 25
$14.1M
$-795.0K
Q1 25
$4.7M
$-3.5M
Q4 24
$5.6M
$61.8M
Q3 24
$13.0M
$-14.8M
Q2 24
$17.0M
$-9.8M
Free Cash Flow
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
Q4 25
$5.1M
$27.3M
Q3 25
$9.9M
$21.0M
Q2 25
$9.1M
$-6.5M
Q1 25
$1.3M
$-15.7M
Q4 24
$1.1M
$53.8M
Q3 24
$9.1M
$-23.7M
Q2 24
$10.4M
$-12.9M
FCF Margin
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
Q4 25
4.1%
12.0%
Q3 25
8.2%
9.7%
Q2 25
7.2%
-2.9%
Q1 25
1.1%
-8.7%
Q4 24
1.0%
21.4%
Q3 24
7.6%
-11.3%
Q2 24
8.5%
-6.7%
Capex Intensity
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
Q4 25
7.1%
0.9%
Q3 25
4.4%
2.6%
Q2 25
4.0%
2.6%
Q1 25
2.8%
6.7%
Q4 24
3.9%
3.2%
Q3 24
3.2%
4.2%
Q2 24
5.3%
1.6%
Cash Conversion
LOCO
LOCO
RBBN
RBBN
Q1 26
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×

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%

RBBN
RBBN

Service$94.5M58%
Product$68.1M42%

Related Comparisons