Aramark $ARMK Shares Bought by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services increased its stake in Aramark by 160.5% in Q4 to 103,883 shares worth about $4.02 million, and several other institutions (including Junto, Norges Bank, AQR, Soros and Ilex) have recently established or materially increased positions—AQR now holds ~3.37 million shares valued at ~$129.3 million.
• Operational and market outlook: Aramark beat Q4 expectations with $0.51 EPS (vs. $0.50) and $4.83B revenue (vs. $4.76B), issued FY2026 guidance of $2.180–2.280 EPS, and has seen multiple analyst upgrades driving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average target price of $48.56.

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Free Report) by 160.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 103,883 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 63,999 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Aramark were worth $4,020,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Junto Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Aramark during the third quarter worth $132,157,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Aramark during the second quarter valued at $135,218,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Aramark by 281.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,367,964 shares of the company's stock valued at $129,296,000 after buying an additional 2,484,319 shares in the last quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aramark in the second quarter worth about $64,902,000. Finally, Ilex Capital Partners UK LLP acquired a new position in shares of Aramark in the second quarter worth about $52,142,000.

Aramark Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of ARMK stock opened at $40.30 on Tuesday. Aramark has a fifty-two week low of $29.92 and a fifty-two week high of $44.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.27. The stock's fifty day moving average is $39.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.87, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.06.

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

Aramark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Aramark's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group set a $47.00 target price on Aramark and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Aramark from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $45.00 price objective on Aramark in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Aramark from $43.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Aramark from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $48.56.

Aramark Company Profile

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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