El Pollo Loco (LOCO) CEO receives new option and stock grants

Filing Impact

(Neutral)

Filing Sentiment

(Neutral)

Form Type

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. reported that Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Goodman Williams received new equity awards. She was granted non-qualified stock options for 116,911 shares of common stock at an exercise price of 13.3200 per share, vesting in three equal installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date.

She also received a restricted stock award of 53,804 common shares, which will vest in three equal annual installments on the same schedule. Following this grant, she directly holds 258,614 shares of common stock. These awards represent compensation rather than open-market purchases.

Insider Trade Summary

2 transactions reported

Mixed 2 txns

Insider Williams Elizabeth Goodman

Role Chief Executive Officer

Type	Security	Shares	Price	Value
Grant/Award	Non-Qualified Stock Options	116,911	$0.00	--
Grant/Award	Common Stock	53,804	$0.00	--

Holdings After Transaction: Non-Qualified Stock Options — 116,911 shares (Direct); Common Stock — 258,614 shares (Direct)

Footnotes (1)

Represents shares of common stock underlying a restricted stock award granted under the Equity Incentive Plan, vesting in three equal installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the date of grant. Granted by a nonqualified stock option agreement under the Equity Incentive Plan, vesting and becoming exercisable in three equal installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the date of grant.

Form 4 Insider Transactions: What Each Field Means →

03/19/2026 - 04:38 PM

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB APPROVAL

OMB Number:			3235-0287
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hours per response:			0.5

Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

Williams Elizabeth Goodman

(Last)

(First)

(Middle)

C/O EL POLLO LOCO HOLDINGS. INC.

575 ANTON BLVD., SUITE 1100

(Street)

COSTA MESA

CALIFORNIA

92626

(City)

(State)

(Zip)

UNITED STATES

(Country)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. [ LOCO ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

X	Director	10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)	Other (specify below)
	Chief Executive Officer

2a. Foreign Trading Symbol

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
03/17/2026

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price		6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
Common Stock	03/17/2026		A		53,804⁽¹⁾	A	$0	258,614	D

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares	8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)		10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
Non-Qualified Stock Options	$13.32	03/17/2026		A		116,911		⁽²⁾	03/17/2036	Common Stock	116,911	$0	116,911	D

Explanation of Responses:

1. Represents shares of common stock underlying a restricted stock award granted under the Equity Incentive Plan, vesting in three equal installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the date of grant.

2. Granted by a nonqualified stock option agreement under the Equity Incentive Plan, vesting and becoming exercisable in three equal installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the date of grant.

	/s/ Jason Weintraub, Attorney-in-Fact	03/19/2026
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.
* Form 4: SEC 1474 (03-26)

Source: View Original Filing on SEC EDGAR

FAQ

What equity awards did El Pollo Loco (LOCO) CEO receive in this Form 4?

The CEO received two equity awards: 116,911 non-qualified stock options and 53,804 restricted shares. Both grants were made as compensation and not through open-market purchases or sales.

How do the new El Pollo Loco (LOCO) CEO stock options vest?

The 116,911 non-qualified stock options vest in three equal installments. Each installment becomes exercisable on the first, second, and third anniversaries of the grant date under the company’s Equity Incentive Plan.

What is the exercise price of the El Pollo Loco (LOCO) CEO’s new stock options?

The newly granted non-qualified stock options have an exercise price of 13.3200 per share. This is the price at which the CEO can purchase common stock once each portion of the grant has vested and become exercisable.

How many El Pollo Loco (LOCO) common shares does the CEO hold after this Form 4?

After the restricted stock award, the CEO directly owns 258,614 shares of common stock. This total reflects the new 53,804-share grant added to her existing direct share holdings reported in the filing.

How do the El Pollo Loco (LOCO) restricted shares granted to the CEO vest?

The 53,804 restricted shares vest in three equal annual installments. One-third vests on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date, consistent with the company’s Equity Incentive Plan terms described in the footnotes.