Aramark $ARMK Shares Purchased by Merit Financial Group LLC

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Aramark by 325.9% in Q4, adding 26,249 shares to hold 34,304 shares worth about $1.26 million.
• Several analysts raised price targets and ratings recently—Aramark has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $48.67 and individual targets raised into the $47–$51 range.
• Aramark reported Q results of $0.51 EPS (slightly beating estimates) with revenue up 6.1% YoY, set FY2026 guidance of $2.18–$2.28 EPS (analysts expect ~2.22), and pays a $0.12 quarterly dividend (≈1.0% yield).

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Free Report) by 325.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,304 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 26,249 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Aramark were worth $1,264,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Aramark during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Aramark during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Aramark during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in Aramark by 254.5% during the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,308 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 939 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in Aramark by 8,753.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,328 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 1,313 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on ARMK. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Aramark from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Aramark from $43.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Aramark in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Aramark from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on Aramark from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $48.67.

Aramark Stock Performance

Shares of ARMK stock opened at $46.24 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $12.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $41.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.43. Aramark has a 12-month low of $32.50 and a 12-month high of $46.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.83 billion during 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. Aramark has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.180-2.280 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Aramark will post 2.22 EPS for the current year.

Aramark Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. Aramark's dividend payout ratio is 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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