Renaissance Technologies LLC Invests $10.32 Million in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK)

Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 276,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,324,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 0.10% of Aramark at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Aramark by 45.7% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 988 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Aramark by 75.2% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,354 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aramark by 167.2% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,424 shares of the company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Aramark during the 4th quarter valued at about $83,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Aramark by 29.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,297 shares of the company's stock valued at $160,000 after buying an additional 990 shares in the last quarter.

Aramark Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of ARMK stock traded up $0.84 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $32.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,794,367 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,079,620. 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 has a one year low of $29.82 and a one year high of $42.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.43 and a beta of 1.37. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $34.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.23.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.03. Aramark had a return on equity of 14.72% and a net margin of 1.94%. The business had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.41 EPS. The business's revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Aramark will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Aramark Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.105 dividend. This is a boost from Aramark's previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Aramark's payout ratio is currently 33.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on ARMK. StockNews.com cut shares of Aramark from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $47.00 target price on shares of Aramark in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Aramark in a research report on Monday, February 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $48.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Aramark from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.08.

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.