CM Management LLC Decreases Holdings in ARKO Corp. $ARKO

Key Points

• CM Management LLC decreased its ARKO holdings by 42.9%, selling 300,000 shares to end the quarter with 400,000 shares (about 0.36% of ARKO) and making ARKO its 21st largest position (~1.5% of the firm's portfolio).
• Institutional ownership is high (78.29%) and insiders own 22.50%; notably ARKO's CFO purchased 40,000 shares at $5.07 on March 17, signaling insider buying interest.
• Analysts have a consensus "Hold" rating with an average $7.00 target; ARKO recently beat EPS expectations, trades around $6.75 (52-week range $3.71–$7.07), and pays a $0.03 quarterly dividend (1.8% yield) with an 85.7% payout ratio.

CM Management LLC decreased its position in shares of ARKO Corp. (NASDAQ:ARKO - Free Report) by 42.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 400,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 300,000 shares during the quarter. ARKO makes up 1.5% of CM Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. CM Management LLC owned approximately 0.36% of ARKO worth $1,816,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lee Financial Co purchased a new stake in shares of ARKO during the third quarter valued at about $891,000. Phoenix Financial Ltd. lifted its position in shares of ARKO by 20.4% during the third quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 7,309,430 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,404,000 after buying an additional 1,239,512 shares during the last quarter. Teton Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ARKO during the third quarter valued at about $594,000. Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of ARKO by 5.3% during the second quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 350,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,483,000 after buying an additional 17,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of ARKO by 2.4% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 224,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $950,000 after acquiring an additional 5,327 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.29% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of ARKO in a report on Friday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ARKO presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $7.00.

ARKO Stock Performance

ARKO opened at $6.75 on Friday. ARKO Corp. has a 52-week low of $3.71 and a 52-week high of $7.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.02. The company has a market cap of $757.22 million, a P/E ratio of 48.22 and a beta of 0.94. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $5.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.24.

ARKO (NASDAQ:ARKO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.03. ARKO had a net margin of 0.30% and a return on equity of 8.58%. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that ARKO Corp. will post 0.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ARKO Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a $0.03 dividend. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. ARKO's dividend payout ratio is 85.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other ARKO news, CFO Charles Galagher Jeff purchased 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $5.07 per share, for a total transaction of $202,800.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 40,000 shares in the company, valued at $202,800. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 22.50% of the company's stock.

About ARKO

ARKO Corp NASDAQ: ARKO is a downstream energy and convenience retail company based in Matthews, North Carolina. The company's core operations encompass fuel supply, distribution and retailing through a network of terminals, independent dealer locations and company-operated convenience stores. ARKO's fuel offerings include branded and unbranded gasoline and diesel, as well as lubricants and other petroleum products marketed under various regional and private labels.

In its retail segment, ARKO operates a portfolio of convenience stores under the Kangaroo Express banner, serving on-site customers with fuel, grab-and-go food items, beverages and everyday household essentials.

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