=El Pollo Loco (LOCO) reported earnings on Thur 8 March 2018 (a/h)

El Pollo Loco beats by $0.01, reports revs in-line 

• Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.11 per share, $0.01 better thanthe Capital IQ Consensus of $0.10; revenues rose 2.9% year/year to $95.2 mln vs the $95.24 mln Capital IQ Consensus.
• System-wide comparable restaurant sales increased 1.4%, including a 0.9% increase for company-operated restaurants, and a 1.9% increase for franchised restaurants.
• Restaurant contribution was $16.6 million or 18.5% of company-operated restaurant revenue, compared to $16.0 million, or 18.5% of company-operated restaurant revenue in 4Q16.
• 2018 Outlook: Sees system-wide comparable restaurant sales growth of approximately flat; Expects to open 6/8 new company owned stores and 6-8 new franchised restaurants; Sees restaurant contribution of 18.7-19.6%.