Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Makes New $1.15 Million Investment in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH has acquired 33,254 shares of Aramark, valued at approximately $1,148,000, indicating growing institutional interest in the company during Q1.
• Multiple research firms have upgraded their price targets for Aramark, with UBS raising its target to $44.00 and Royal Bank of Canada setting it at $47.00, reflecting strong analyst confidence.
• Aramark recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.105 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.0%, demonstrating the company's commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 33,254 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,148,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Aramark by 93.0% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 770 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Aramark during the 4th quarter worth about $72,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Aramark by 82.6% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,472 shares of the company's stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 1,118 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of Aramark by 21.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,859 shares of the company's stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 499 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Aramark by 39.2% in the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,964 shares of the company's stock worth $171,000 after acquiring an additional 1,399 shares in the last quarter.

Aramark Price Performance

ARMK stock traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $39.58. 1,719,327 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,998,030. The company has a market cap of $10.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.45 and a beta of 1.33. The stock's 50 day moving average is $41.76 and its 200 day moving average is $37.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.08. Aramark has a 12-month low of $29.92 and a 12-month high of $44.49.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40. The company had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.66 billion. Aramark had a return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 1.97%. Aramark's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.31 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Aramark will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Aramark Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 6th will be given a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Aramark's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on ARMK. Wall Street Zen raised Aramark from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. UBS Group set a $46.00 price target on Aramark and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $47.00 price target on shares of Aramark in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Aramark from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $44.27.

Aramark Profile

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.