Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) Shares Sold by Sarasin & Partners LLP

Sarasin & Partners LLP cut its holdings in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Free Report) by 40.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 154,507 shares of the company's stock after selling 104,857 shares during the quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP owned approximately 0.06% of Aramark worth $5,334,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of Aramark by 45.7% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 988 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its position in Aramark by 42.2% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 199,657 shares of the company's stock worth $7,470,000 after buying an additional 59,225 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aramark by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 17,067 shares of the company's stock valued at $637,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Aramark by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 26,066 shares of the company's stock valued at $973,000 after buying an additional 3,312 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in Aramark by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 723,090 shares of the company's stock worth $26,978,000 after purchasing an additional 6,034 shares during the last quarter.

Aramark Price Performance

NYSE:ARMK traded up $0.32 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $39.89. 286,436 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,993,873. The stock's 50-day moving average is $36.10 and its 200-day moving average is $37.06. Aramark has a twelve month low of $29.92 and a twelve month high of $42.49. The firm has a market cap of $10.45 billion, a PE ratio of 31.40 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.01. Aramark had a return on equity of 14.72% and a net margin of 1.94%. The company had revenue of $4.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.30 EPS. Aramark's quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Aramark will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aramark Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th were paid a dividend of $0.105 per share. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. Aramark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ARMK shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on Aramark from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $47.00 price objective on shares of Aramark in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Citigroup began coverage on Aramark in a research note on Monday, February 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Aramark from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Aramark presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.33.

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.