Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) Stock Position Boosted by Alyeska Investment Group L.P.

Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its stake in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Free Report) by 42.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 262,330 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 77,600 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. owned approximately 0.10% of Aramark worth $9,788,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Aramark by 93.0% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 770 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Aramark by 45.7% in 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. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Aramark by 75.2% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,354 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Aramark by 167.2% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,424 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 891 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aramark during the 4th quarter worth about $83,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ARMK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Aramark from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $47.00 price objective on shares of Aramark in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Aramark from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on Aramark in a research note on Monday, February 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $48.00 target price for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Aramark presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.33.

Aramark Stock Performance

ARMK stock traded down $0.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $38.38. 2,137,800 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,066,108. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $34.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. Aramark has a 52 week low of $29.92 and a 52 week high of $42.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.22 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Aramark Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 1.09%. Aramark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.07%.

About Aramark

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.