El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. 10-K

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES Market Information Our common stock has been listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the symbol “LOCO” since July 25, 2014. As of March 6, 2026, there were approximately 61 holders of record of our common stock. The number of holders of record is based upon the actual number of holders registered at such date and does not include holders of shares in “street name” or persons, partnerships, associates, corporations, or other entities in security position listings maintained by depositories. Dividends Dividend payments are subject to the discretion and approval of our Board of Directors and our compliance with applicable law, and depends upon, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, level of indebtedness, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, and other factors that our Board of Directors may deem relevant. We do not anticipate paying any such dividends for the foreseeable future. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon our results of operations, financial condition, restrictions imposed by applicable law and our financing agreements and other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant. Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities The following table sets forth information with respect to the shares of our common stock we acquired during the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2025 (in thousands, except number of shares and per share amounts) . ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Total Number of Shares Purchased ​ ​ ​ ​ Average Price Paid Per Share ​ ​ ​ Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs ​ ​ ​ ​ Approximate Dollar Value of Shares That May Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs September 25, 2025 to October 22, 2025 — ​ $ — ​ — ​ $ — October 23, 2025 to November 19, 2025 — ​ $ — ​ — ​ $ — November 20, 2025 to December 31, 2025 22,424 ​ $ 10.17 ​ — ​ $ — Total 22,424 (1) ​ ​ ​ ​ — ​ ​ ​ ​ 32 Table of Contents ​ (1) Consists of 22,424 shares acquired by us to satisfy employee tax withholding obligations in connection with the vesting of previously issued restricted stock. 33 Table of Contents Stock Performance Graph The following graph and table illustrate the total cumulative shareholder return for (i) our common stock, (ii) the Nasdaq Composite Index and (iii) the Standard and Poor’s Composite 1500 Restaurants Index, for the five years ended December 31, 2025. The graph assumes the investment of $100 at the beginning of the period (at the closing price of our common stock on December 30, 2020) and the reinvestment of all dividends. Specifically, the graph assumes that the $1.50 per share special cash dividend paid to shareholders was reinvested in 2022. Stockholder returns over the indicated period should not be considered indicative of future stockholder returns. The stock performance graph shall not be deemed soliciting material or to be filed with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C under the Exchange Act or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, nor shall it be incorporated by reference into any past or future filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) or the Exchange Act, except to the extent we specifically request that it be treated as soliciting material or specifically incorporate it by reference into a filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Nasdaq ​ S&P Composite ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Composite ​ 1500 Date ​ ​ ​ LOCO ​ ​ ​ Index ​ ​ ​ Restaurants December 30, 2020 ​ $ 100.00 ​ $ 100.00 ​ $ 100.00 December 29, 2021 ​ $ 76.94 ​ $ 122.18 ​ $ 122.05 December 28, 2022 ​ $ 54.70 ​ $ 82.42 ​ $ 111.26 December 27, 2023 ​ $ 49.70 ​ $ 119.22 ​ $ 128.75 December 25, 2024 (1) ​ $ 64.85 ​ $ 154.48 ​ $ 137.23 December 31, 2025 ​ $ 57.44 ​ $ 179.14 ​ $ 173.38 ​ ​ (1) Since December 25, 2024 was a market holiday, the price quoted in this column is based on our closing share price on December 24, 2024. ​ ITEM 6. [RESERVED] ​