Ameriprise Financial Inc. Has $19.59 Million Stake in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Free Report) by 28.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 525,072 shares of the company's stock after selling 211,306 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned about 0.20% of Aramark worth $19,590,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in Aramark by 45.7% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 988 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Aramark by 75.2% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,354 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in Aramark by 167.2% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,424 shares of the company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Aramark in the 4th quarter valued at $83,000.

Aramark Trading Up 2.3%

Aramark stock traded up $0.90 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $39.23. 1,922,844 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,045,655. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $34.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.92. Aramark has a twelve month low of $29.92 and a twelve month high of $42.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.28 billion, a PE ratio of 30.89 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Aramark Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.07%. Aramark's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ARMK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $47.00 price target on shares of Aramark in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group increased their price target on Aramark from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Aramark from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on Aramark in a research note on Monday, February 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.33.

Aramark Company 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.