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

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($126.2M vs $120.9M, roughly 1.0× Sprout Social, Inc.). On growth, Sprout Social, Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (12.9% vs 5.9%). Over the past eight quarters, Sprout Social, Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (11.8% CAGR vs 1.6%).

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.

Sprout Social, Inc. is a technology company that runs a social media management platform. A public company headquartered in Chicago, it was founded in 2010 by Justyn Howard, Aaron Rankin, Gil Lara, and Peter Soung.

LOCO vs SPT — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
LOCO
LOCO
1.0× larger
LOCO
$126.2M
$120.9M
SPT
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
SPT
SPT
+7.0% gap
SPT
12.9%
5.9%
LOCO
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
SPT
SPT
Annualised
SPT
11.8%
1.6%
LOCO

Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Revenue
$126.2M
$120.9M
Net Profit
$8.2M
Gross Margin
77.6%
Operating Margin
9.7%
-9.0%
Net Margin
6.5%
Revenue YoY
5.9%
12.9%
Net Profit YoY
48.8%
EPS (diluted)
$0.27
$-0.18

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
SPT
SPT
Q1 26
$126.2M
Q4 25
$123.5M
$120.9M
Q3 25
$121.5M
$115.6M
Q2 25
$125.8M
$111.8M
Q1 25
$119.2M
$109.3M
Q4 24
$114.3M
$107.1M
Q3 24
$120.4M
$102.6M
Q2 24
$122.2M
$99.4M
Net Profit
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Q1 26
$8.2M
Q4 25
$6.5M
Q3 25
$7.4M
$-9.4M
Q2 25
$7.1M
$-12.0M
Q1 25
$5.5M
$-11.2M
Q4 24
$6.0M
Q3 24
$6.2M
$-17.1M
Q2 24
$7.6M
$-16.9M
Gross Margin
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Q1 26
Q4 25
77.6%
Q3 25
77.7%
Q2 25
77.7%
Q1 25
77.3%
Q4 24
78.1%
Q3 24
77.4%
Q2 24
77.5%
Operating Margin
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Q1 26
9.7%
Q4 25
8.3%
-9.0%
Q3 25
9.4%
-7.9%
Q2 25
9.0%
-11.0%
Q1 25
7.5%
-10.2%
Q4 24
7.9%
-12.8%
Q3 24
8.4%
-16.4%
Q2 24
10.1%
-16.6%
Net Margin
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Q1 26
6.5%
Q4 25
5.3%
Q3 25
6.1%
-8.1%
Q2 25
5.6%
-10.7%
Q1 25
4.6%
-10.3%
Q4 24
5.2%
Q3 24
5.1%
-16.6%
Q2 24
6.2%
-17.0%
EPS (diluted)
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Q1 26
$0.27
Q4 25
$0.22
$-0.18
Q3 25
$0.25
$-0.16
Q2 25
$0.24
$-0.21
Q1 25
$0.19
$-0.19
Q4 24
$0.21
$-0.25
Q3 24
$0.21
$-0.30
Q2 24
$0.25
$-0.30

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$3.9M
$95.3M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$40.0M
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$302.5M
$203.4M
Total Assets
$609.1M
$523.1M
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.20×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Q1 26
$3.9M
Q4 25
$6.2M
$95.3M
Q3 25
$10.9M
$90.6M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$101.5M
Q1 25
$4.3M
$100.9M
Q4 24
$2.5M
$86.4M
Q3 24
$7.9M
$82.9M
Q2 24
$10.5M
$80.9M
Total Debt
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Q1 26
Q4 25
$51.0M
$40.0M
Q3 25
$61.0M
Q2 25
$69.0M
Q1 25
$73.0M
Q4 24
$71.0M
$25.0M
Q3 24
$76.0M
Q2 24
$87.0M
Stockholders' Equity
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Q1 26
$302.5M
Q4 25
$291.1M
$203.4M
Q3 25
$282.9M
$194.1M
Q2 25
$274.2M
$184.6M
Q1 25
$265.7M
$175.3M
Q4 24
$260.7M
$166.6M
Q3 24
$255.2M
$158.1M
Q2 24
$248.6M
$152.1M
Total Assets
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Q1 26
$609.1M
Q4 25
$606.6M
$523.1M
Q3 25
$602.7M
$481.4M
Q2 25
$596.8M
$422.9M
Q1 25
$590.5M
$424.7M
Q4 24
$592.0M
$428.3M
Q3 24
$590.0M
$388.8M
Q2 24
$593.8M
$393.6M
Debt / Equity
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Q1 26
Q4 25
0.18×
0.20×
Q3 25
0.22×
Q2 25
0.25×
Q1 25
0.27×
Q4 24
0.27×
0.15×
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
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$10.9M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$9.9M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
8.2%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
0.9%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$39.3M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Q1 26
Q4 25
$13.9M
$10.9M
Q3 25
$15.3M
$9.3M
Q2 25
$14.1M
$5.1M
Q1 25
$4.7M
$18.1M
Q4 24
$5.6M
$4.1M
Q3 24
$13.0M
$9.0M
Q2 24
$17.0M
$2.1M
Free Cash Flow
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Q1 26
Q4 25
$5.1M
$9.9M
Q3 25
$9.9M
$8.5M
Q2 25
$9.1M
$4.2M
Q1 25
$1.3M
$16.7M
Q4 24
$1.1M
$3.3M
Q3 24
$9.1M
$8.5M
Q2 24
$10.4M
$1.6M
FCF Margin
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Q1 26
Q4 25
4.1%
8.2%
Q3 25
8.2%
7.4%
Q2 25
7.2%
3.7%
Q1 25
1.1%
15.3%
Q4 24
1.0%
3.0%
Q3 24
7.6%
8.3%
Q2 24
8.5%
1.6%
Capex Intensity
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
Q1 26
Q4 25
7.1%
0.9%
Q3 25
4.4%
0.7%
Q2 25
4.0%
0.8%
Q1 25
2.8%
1.2%
Q4 24
3.9%
0.8%
Q3 24
3.2%
0.5%
Q2 24
5.3%
0.5%
Cash Conversion
LOCO
LOCO
SPT
SPT
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.

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