Algert Global LLC Buys Shares of 77,420 Aramark (NYSE:ARMK)

Algert Global LLC acquired a new stake in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 77,420 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,889,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ARMK. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Aramark by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 53,654 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,002,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Aramark by 45.7% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 988 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Aramark by 93.0% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 770 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in Aramark by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 8,012 shares of the company's stock valued at $299,000 after buying an additional 391 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC raised its position in Aramark by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 15,029 shares of the company's stock valued at $561,000 after buying an additional 444 shares during the period.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on ARMK. Citigroup began coverage on Aramark in a research report on Monday, February 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $48.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Aramark from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $47.00 price target on shares of Aramark in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Aramark from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.33.

Aramark Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE ARMK traded up $0.57 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $38.93. 1,062,491 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,062,347. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market cap of $10.20 billion, a PE ratio of 30.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company's fifty day moving average is $34.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.88. Aramark has a fifty-two week low of $29.92 and a fifty-two week high of $42.49.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. Aramark had a return on equity of 14.72% and a net margin of 1.94%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.30 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Aramark will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Aramark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.08%. Aramark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.31%.

Aramark Profile

Aramark provides food and facilities services to education, healthcare, business and industry, sports, leisure, and corrections clients in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Food and Support Services United States, and Food and Support Services International. The company offers food-related managed services, including dining, catering, food service management, and convenience-oriented retail services; non-clinical food and food-related support services, such as patient food and nutrition, retail food, environmental services, and procurement services; and plant operations and maintenance, custodial/housekeeping, energy management, grounds keeping, and capital project management services.