vs
Side-by-side financial comparison of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) and Vericel Corp (VCEL). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($123.5M vs $92.9M, roughly 1.3× Vericel Corp). Vericel Corp runs the higher net margin — 25.0% vs 5.3%, a 19.7% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Vericel Corp posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (23.3% vs 8.1%). Vericel Corp produced more free cash flow last quarter ($12.8M vs $5.1M). Over the past eight quarters, Vericel Corp's revenue compounded faster (34.6% 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.
Vericel Corporation is a publicly traded American biopharmaceutical company which was known prior to October 2014 as Aastrom Bio. Aastrom Bio was formed in 1989 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
LOCO vs VCEL — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $123.5M | $92.9M |
| Net Profit | $6.5M | $23.2M |
| Gross Margin | — | 78.7% |
| Operating Margin | 8.3% | 24.1% |
| Net Margin | 5.3% | 25.0% |
| Revenue YoY | 8.1% | 23.3% |
| Net Profit YoY | 9.9% | 17.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.22 | $0.46 |
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 | $92.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $121.5M | $67.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $125.8M | $63.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $119.2M | $52.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $114.3M | $75.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $120.4M | $57.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $122.2M | $52.7M | ||
| Q1 24 | $116.2M | $51.3M |
| Q4 25 | $6.5M | $23.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.4M | $5.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.1M | $-553.0K | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.5M | $-11.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.0M | $19.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $6.2M | $-901.0K | ||
| Q2 24 | $7.6M | $-4.7M | ||
| Q1 24 | $5.9M | $-3.9M |
| Q4 25 | — | 78.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 73.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 73.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 69.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 77.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 71.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 69.5% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 68.9% |
| Q4 25 | 8.3% | 24.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 9.4% | 5.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 9.0% | -3.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.5% | -24.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.9% | 24.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 8.4% | -4.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.1% | -11.5% | ||
| Q1 24 | 8.3% | -10.7% |
| Q4 25 | 5.3% | 25.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.1% | 7.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.6% | -0.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.6% | -21.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.2% | 26.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 5.1% | -1.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 6.2% | -8.9% | ||
| Q1 24 | 5.1% | -7.5% |
| Q4 25 | $0.22 | $0.46 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.25 | $0.10 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.24 | $-0.01 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.19 | $-0.23 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.21 | $0.40 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.21 | $-0.02 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.25 | $-0.10 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.19 | $-0.08 |
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 | $137.5M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $51.0M | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $291.1M | $354.6M |
| Total Assets | $606.6M | $488.0M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.18× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $6.2M | $137.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $10.9M | $135.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.0M | $116.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.3M | $112.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.5M | $116.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | $7.9M | $101.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $10.5M | $102.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $9.1M | $110.6M |
| 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 24 | $80.0M | — |
| Q4 25 | $291.1M | $354.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $282.9M | $321.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $274.2M | $306.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $265.7M | $295.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $260.7M | $292.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $255.2M | $257.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $248.6M | $243.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $256.3M | $233.9M |
| Q4 25 | $606.6M | $488.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $602.7M | $453.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $596.8M | $435.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | $590.5M | $424.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $592.0M | $432.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $590.0M | $390.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $593.8M | $376.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $598.0M | $356.7M |
| 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× | — | ||
| 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 | $15.0M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $5.1M | $12.8M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 4.1% | 13.8% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 7.1% | 2.4% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 2.13× | 0.65× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $25.4M | $24.7M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $13.9M | $15.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $15.3M | $22.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $14.1M | $8.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.7M | $6.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.6M | $22.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | $13.0M | $10.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $17.0M | $18.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $11.2M | $7.2M |
| Q4 25 | $5.1M | $12.8M | ||
| Q3 25 | $9.9M | $19.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.1M | $81.0K | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.3M | $-7.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1M | $8.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $9.1M | $-9.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $10.4M | $1.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $7.0M | $-6.8M |
| Q4 25 | 4.1% | 13.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | 8.2% | 28.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 7.2% | 0.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.1% | -14.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.0% | 11.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | 7.6% | -15.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 8.5% | 3.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 6.0% | -13.3% |
| Q4 25 | 7.1% | 2.4% | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.4% | 3.9% | ||
| Q2 25 | 4.0% | 12.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.8% | 27.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.9% | 18.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.2% | 33.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.3% | 31.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | 3.6% | 27.3% |
| Q4 25 | 2.13× | 0.65× | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.08× | 4.35× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.99× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.86× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.95× | 1.12× | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.11× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.22× | — | ||
| 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% |
VCEL
| MACI Implants And Kits | $84.1M | 90% |
| Other | $8.8M | 10% |
