Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) Short Interest Update

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,090,000 shares, a decrease of 26.9% from the May 15th total of 11,060,000 shares. Approximately 3.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,100,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.9 days.

Aramark Stock Performance

Aramark stock traded down $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $40.03. The company had a trading volume of 2,283,190 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,990,973. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02. Aramark has a 12-month low of $29.92 and a 12-month high of $42.49. The company's fifty day moving average is $37.38 and its 200-day moving average is $37.01. The company has a market capitalization of $10.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.80 and a beta of 1.28.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.01. Aramark had a return on equity of 15.07% and a net margin of 1.97%. The firm had revenue of $4.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.30 EPS. The business's revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Aramark will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Aramark Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aramark

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its stake in Aramark by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 53,654 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,002,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in 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 during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in Aramark by 93.0% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 770 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its stake in Aramark by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 9,267 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 378 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in Aramark by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 8,012 shares of the company's stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ARMK has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Aramark from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Aramark from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $47.00 price target on shares of Aramark in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Aramark in a report on Monday, February 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $48.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.73.

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.