Fmr LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK)

FMR LLC lessened its holdings in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Free Report) by 21.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,207,386 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,444,510 shares during the period. FMR LLC owned about 1.96% of Aramark worth $194,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Aramark in the 3rd quarter worth about $716,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Aramark by 7.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 6,570,938 shares of the company's stock valued at $254,427,000 after acquiring an additional 441,711 shares in the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP increased its position in shares of Aramark by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 259,364 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,677,000 after acquiring an additional 35,616 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Aramark by 1.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,363,113 shares of the company's stock worth $169,028,000 after acquiring an additional 45,384 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in Aramark by 45.7% in 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.

Aramark Price Performance

Aramark stock traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $32.18. 958,272 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,089,516. Aramark has a 52 week low of $29.82 and a 52 week high of $42.49. 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 firm has a market cap of $8.53 billion, a PE ratio of 25.33 and a beta of 1.37. The company's fifty day moving average is $34.90 and its 200-day moving average is $37.37.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.61 billion. Aramark had a return on equity of 14.72% and a net margin of 1.94%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.41 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Aramark will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Aramark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 24th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.105 per share. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This is an increase from Aramark's previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. Aramark's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $47.00 target price on shares of Aramark in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Aramark in a research note on Monday, February 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $48.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Aramark from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Aramark from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.08.

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.