El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) Cash Flow: Operating & Free Cash Flow

El Pollo Loco Holdings Cash Flow Statement Analysis

Values in millions USD

Income Statement Balance Sheet Cash Flow Ratios

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Cash flow statement showing operating, investing, and financing activities for El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) - Annual data in millions USD
Breakdown	FY 2025	FY 2024	FY 2023	FY 2022	FY 2021	FY 2020	FY 2019	FY 2018	FY 2017
Period ending	Dec 2025	Dec 2024	Dec 2023	Dec 2022	Dec 2021	Dec 2020	Dec 2019	Dec 2018	Dec 2017
Operating Activities
Net Income	12.02	25.68	25.55	20.80	29.12	24.47	24.90	-8.99	8.62
Depreciation & Amortization	4.14	15.72	15.24	14.42	15.18	16.88	17.86	17.83	18.13
Deferred Income Tax	0.66	-2.88	0.91	4.16	1.02	4.15	9.64	-4.19	-5.32
Stock Based Compensation	6.44	3.93	2.96	3.49	3.22	3.09	2.47	2.01	1.06
Change in Working Capital	-1.65	3.82	-1.05	-4.46	0.78	-12.17	-27.86	28.63	-3.44
Change in Accounts Receivable	-1.74	0.68	-0.22	3.32	-3.44	-1.16	1.09	28.31	-4.39
Change in Inventory	0.13	-0.03	0.53	-0.13	-0.22	-0.09	0.34	-0.19	-0.18
Change in Accounts Payable	4.81	-0.94	-3.97	3.55	0.88	0.67	-3.19	0.48	1.09
Change in Other Working Capital	-4.84	0.16	2.60	0.34	0.25	-11.59	-26.10	0.04	0.04
Other Operating Activities	26.47	0.16	-2.92	0.34	0.25	4.13	9.13	10.16	34.63
Net Cash from Operating Activities	48.08	46.78	40.69	38.55	52.10	40.55	36.14	45.44	53.67
Investing Activities
Capital Expenditures	-22.64	-19.08	-21.33	-19.92	-17.04	-6.69	-15.44	-27.80	-36.24
Acquisitions	0.00	0.00	7.72	1.00	4.56	0.00	4.77	0.00	0.00
Other Investing Activities	-24.28	0.14	0.16	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Net Cash from Investing Activities	-22.64	-18.94	-13.45	-18.92	-12.49	-6.69	-10.67	-27.80	-36.24
Financing Activities
Debt Repayment	-20.22	-27.21	17.84	-20.16	-22.95	-34.24	22.93	-19.83	-11.14
Common Stock Issued	1.11	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	1.84	0.09
Common Stock Repurchased	-1.84	-20.55	-59.22	0.00	0.00	0.00	-48.38	-0.98	0.00
Dividends Paid	0.00	0.00	0.00	-55.57	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Other Financing Activities	-0.74	-0.44	0.93	-1.16	-0.71	5.53	1.09	1.59	0.09
Net Cash from Financing Activities	-21.70	-32.65	-40.45	-29.19	-22.79	-28.71	-24.37	-19.22	-11.05
Summary
Net Change in Cash	3.74	-4.80	-13.21	-9.55	16.83	5.15	1.10	-1.58	6.38
Cash at Beginning of Period	2.48	7.29	20.49	30.05	13.22	8.07	6.97	8.55	2.17
Cash at End of Period	6.23	2.48	7.29	20.49	30.05	13.22	8.07	6.97	8.55
Free Cash Flow	25.44	27.70	19.36	18.63	35.06	33.86	20.70	17.64	17.43
Supplemental Disclosures
Interest Paid	-	5.89	4.82	1.45	1.07	2.96	-	-	-
Income Taxes Paid	-	10.35	7.72	5.10	5.97	4.23	-	-	-

Source: Company financial statements from annual and quarterly filings. Data as of Jul 1, 2026. Data sources and methodology

Frequently Asked Questions About El Pollo Loco Holdings Cash Flow

What is El Pollo Loco Holdings's free cash flow?

El Pollo Loco Holdings generated free cash flow of $25.44M in fiscal 2025 (fiscal year ended Dec 31, 2025), operating cash flow of $48.08M minus $22.64M of capital expenditures. That was down 8.2% from $27.70M a year earlier. Free cash flow equaled 5.2% of revenue.

How much does El Pollo Loco Holdings spend on capital expenditures?

El Pollo Loco Holdings spent $22.64M on capital expenditures in fiscal 2025, compared with $19.08M a year earlier. That equals 47.1% of operating cash flow.

Does El Pollo Loco Holdings pay dividends or buy back shares?

Yes. In fiscal 2025 El Pollo Loco Holdings returned $1.84M in share buybacks to shareholders, according to its cash flow statement.

What is free cash flow?

Free cash flow is operating cash flow minus capital expenditures. It is the cash a company has left for dividends, buybacks, debt repayment or acquisitions after funding its operations and investment. Full definition