Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• "Moderate Buy" consensus from 10 analysts (8 buy, 2 hold) with an average 1‑year target price of about $48.56.
• Aramark beat the quarter with $0.51 EPS vs $0.50 expected and $4.83B revenue vs $4.76B, and set FY2026 guidance of $2.18–$2.28 EPS (analysts' average ~1.92 EPS).
• Large institutional buying: Artisan, JPMorgan and Fisher significantly increased holdings and Junto Capital opened a new position worth roughly $132M, signaling notable investor interest.

Shares of Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $48.5556.

Several equities research analysts have commented on ARMK shares. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Aramark from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Aramark from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Aramark in a report on Friday, March 27th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Aramark in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group set a $47.00 price target on shares of Aramark and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th.

Institutional Trading of Aramark

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ARMK. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Aramark by 166.3% during the 3rd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,131,501 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,450,000 after acquiring an additional 706,677 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Aramark by 102.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,320,269 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,700,000 after purchasing an additional 667,528 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Aramark by 73.5% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 1,468,699 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,398,000 after purchasing an additional 622,430 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Aramark by 525.4% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 39,884 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,531,000 after purchasing an additional 33,507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Junto Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Aramark during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $132,157,000.

Aramark Stock Performance

Shares of ARMK stock opened at $42.56 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.84. The company has a market cap of $11.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.06. Aramark has a 12-month low of $29.92 and a 12-month high of $44.49.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.76 billion. Aramark had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 1.69%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.51 earnings per share. Aramark has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.180-2.280 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Aramark will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Aramark Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Aramark's payout ratio is currently 40.34%.

About Aramark

Aramark NYSE: ARMK is a global provider of food services, facilities management and uniform solutions, serving clients across a wide array of industries including education, healthcare, business and government. The company operates through three primary segments: Food and Support Services, Uniform and Career Apparel, and Facility Services, delivering integrated solutions designed to enhance guest experiences, improve operational efficiencies and maintain safe, clean environments. Aramark's offerings include corporate dining, patient and senior nutrition, campus dining, sports and entertainment concessions, custodial services, technical maintenance and industrial laundry.

Founded in 1959 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Aramark has expanded its footprint to more than 20 countries, with a strong presence in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

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