AlphaQuest LLC Buys 11,052 Shares of Aramark $ARMK

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in Aramark by 92.5% during the first quarter, raising its total shares to 23,000, valued at $794,000.
• Several institutional investors have also significantly boosted their positions in Aramark, with Harbour Investments Inc. increasing its stake by 40,750% during the same period.
• Aramark reported $4.63 billion in revenue for the last quarter, slightly below consensus estimates, and set a fiscal year 2025 EPS guidance between 1.910-1.980.

AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Free Report) by 92.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 23,000 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,052 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in Aramark were worth $794,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Aramark by 1.7% in the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 26,504 shares of the company's stock valued at $915,000 after acquiring an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC increased its position in shares of Aramark by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 15,029 shares of the company's stock valued at $561,000 after acquiring an additional 444 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. increased its position in shares of Aramark by 1.5% in the first quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 31,209 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,077,000 after acquiring an additional 451 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Aramark by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,788 shares of the company's stock valued at $253,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Aramark by 21.1% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,859 shares of the company's stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 499 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ARMK. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Aramark from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Aramark from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Baird R W raised Aramark from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Robert W. Baird raised Aramark from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $43.00 to $47.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, UBS Group set a $46.00 price target on Aramark and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Aramark currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $45.44.

Aramark Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ARMK traded down $0.17 during trading on Friday, reaching $39.08. 956,091 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,560,513. Aramark has a 12 month low of $29.92 and a 12 month high of $44.49. The firm has a market cap of $10.27 billion, a PE ratio of 28.95 and a beta of 1.33. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $41.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40. Aramark had a return on equity of 15.67% and a net margin of 2.02%.The company had revenue of $4.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.31 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Aramark has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.910-1.980 EPS. Research analysts expect that Aramark will post 1.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aramark Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 6th were issued a dividend of $0.105 per share. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 6th. Aramark's payout ratio is currently 31.11%.

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.