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

VERACYTE, INC. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($139.1M vs $126.2M, roughly 1.1× El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.). VERACYTE, INC. runs the higher net margin — 20.6% vs 6.5%, a 14.2% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, VERACYTE, INC. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (21.5% vs 5.9%). Over the past eight quarters, VERACYTE, INC.'s revenue compounded faster (10.2% 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.

Veracyte Inc. is a leading molecular diagnostics company that develops and commercializes proprietary genomic testing solutions for early, accurate detection of cancer and other complex diseases. Its offerings help healthcare providers make better clinical decisions to improve patient outcomes, with core operations in the U.S. and expanding global market presence across key clinical segments.

LOCO vs VCYT — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
VCYT
VCYT
1.1× larger
VCYT
$139.1M
$126.2M
LOCO
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
VCYT
VCYT
+15.6% gap
VCYT
21.5%
5.9%
LOCO
Higher net margin
VCYT
VCYT
14.2% more per $
VCYT
20.6%
6.5%
LOCO
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
VCYT
VCYT
Annualised
VCYT
10.2%
1.6%
LOCO

Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q1 FY2026

Metric
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Revenue
$126.2M
$139.1M
Net Profit
$8.2M
$28.7M
Gross Margin
72.7%
Operating Margin
9.7%
16.3%
Net Margin
6.5%
20.6%
Revenue YoY
5.9%
21.5%
Net Profit YoY
48.8%
EPS (diluted)
$0.27
$0.35

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
VCYT
VCYT
Q1 26
$126.2M
$139.1M
Q4 25
$123.5M
$140.6M
Q3 25
$121.5M
$131.9M
Q2 25
$125.8M
$130.2M
Q1 25
$119.2M
$114.5M
Q4 24
$114.3M
$118.6M
Q3 24
$120.4M
$115.9M
Q2 24
$122.2M
$114.4M
Net Profit
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Q1 26
$8.2M
$28.7M
Q4 25
$6.5M
$41.1M
Q3 25
$7.4M
$19.1M
Q2 25
$7.1M
$-980.0K
Q1 25
$5.5M
$7.0M
Q4 24
$6.0M
$5.1M
Q3 24
$6.2M
$15.2M
Q2 24
$7.6M
$5.7M
Gross Margin
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Q1 26
72.7%
Q4 25
72.5%
Q3 25
69.2%
Q2 25
69.0%
Q1 25
69.5%
Q4 24
66.4%
Q3 24
68.2%
Q2 24
68.1%
Operating Margin
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Q1 26
9.7%
16.3%
Q4 25
8.3%
26.4%
Q3 25
9.4%
17.4%
Q2 25
9.0%
-4.0%
Q1 25
7.5%
2.5%
Q4 24
7.9%
3.5%
Q3 24
8.4%
10.4%
Q2 24
10.1%
4.0%
Net Margin
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Q1 26
6.5%
20.6%
Q4 25
5.3%
29.3%
Q3 25
6.1%
14.5%
Q2 25
5.6%
-0.8%
Q1 25
4.6%
6.2%
Q4 24
5.2%
4.3%
Q3 24
5.1%
13.1%
Q2 24
6.2%
5.0%
EPS (diluted)
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Q1 26
$0.27
$0.35
Q4 25
$0.22
$0.50
Q3 25
$0.25
$0.24
Q2 25
$0.24
$-0.01
Q1 25
$0.19
$0.09
Q4 24
$0.21
$0.07
Q3 24
$0.21
$0.19
Q2 24
$0.25
$0.07

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$3.9M
$439.1M
Total DebtLower is stronger
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$302.5M
$1.3B
Total Assets
$609.1M
$1.4B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Q1 26
$3.9M
$439.1M
Q4 25
$6.2M
$362.6M
Q3 25
$10.9M
$315.6M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$219.5M
Q1 25
$4.3M
$186.1M
Q4 24
$2.5M
$239.1M
Q3 24
$7.9M
$274.1M
Q2 24
$10.5M
$235.9M
Total Debt
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
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
Stockholders' Equity
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Q1 26
$302.5M
$1.3B
Q4 25
$291.1M
$1.3B
Q3 25
$282.9M
$1.3B
Q2 25
$274.2M
$1.2B
Q1 25
$265.7M
$1.2B
Q4 24
$260.7M
$1.2B
Q3 24
$255.2M
$1.2B
Q2 24
$248.6M
$1.1B
Total Assets
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Q1 26
$609.1M
$1.4B
Q4 25
$606.6M
$1.4B
Q3 25
$602.7M
$1.4B
Q2 25
$596.8M
$1.3B
Q1 25
$590.5M
$1.3B
Q4 24
$592.0M
$1.3B
Q3 24
$590.0M
$1.3B
Q2 24
$593.8M
$1.2B
Debt / Equity
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
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
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$35.2M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
1.23×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Q1 26
$35.2M
Q4 25
$13.9M
$52.6M
Q3 25
$15.3M
$44.8M
Q2 25
$14.1M
$33.6M
Q1 25
$4.7M
$5.4M
Q4 24
$5.6M
$24.5M
Q3 24
$13.0M
$30.0M
Q2 24
$17.0M
$29.6M
Free Cash Flow
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Q1 26
Q4 25
$5.1M
$48.8M
Q3 25
$9.9M
$42.0M
Q2 25
$9.1M
$32.3M
Q1 25
$1.3M
$3.5M
Q4 24
$1.1M
$20.4M
Q3 24
$9.1M
$27.7M
Q2 24
$10.4M
$26.8M
FCF Margin
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Q1 26
Q4 25
4.1%
34.7%
Q3 25
8.2%
31.8%
Q2 25
7.2%
24.8%
Q1 25
1.1%
3.1%
Q4 24
1.0%
17.2%
Q3 24
7.6%
23.9%
Q2 24
8.5%
23.4%
Capex Intensity
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Q1 26
Q4 25
7.1%
2.7%
Q3 25
4.4%
2.1%
Q2 25
4.0%
1.0%
Q1 25
2.8%
1.6%
Q4 24
3.9%
3.5%
Q3 24
3.2%
1.9%
Q2 24
5.3%
2.4%
Cash Conversion
LOCO
LOCO
VCYT
VCYT
Q1 26
1.23×
Q4 25
2.13×
1.28×
Q3 25
2.08×
2.34×
Q2 25
1.99×
Q1 25
0.86×
0.76×
Q4 24
0.95×
4.80×
Q3 24
2.11×
1.98×
Q2 24
2.22×
5.16×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

LOCO
LOCO

Segment breakdown not available.

VCYT
VCYT

Testing revenue$135.1M97%
Product revenue$3.7M3%
Biopharmaceutical and other revenue$301.0K0%

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