AlphaQuest LLC Grows Position in Aramark $ARMK

AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) by 83.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 28,739 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,096 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Aramark were worth $1,104,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARMK. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Aramark during the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Aramark in the second quarter worth $51,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Aramark by 1,323.1% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,295 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Aramark by 56.6% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 798 shares during the period. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Aramark in the second quarter worth about $119,000.

Aramark Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ARMK opened at $38.45 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $10.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.09. Aramark has a 52-week low of $29.92 and a 52-week high of $44.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $38.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.87.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 17th. The company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.65 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.16 billion. Aramark had a net margin of 1.76% and a return on equity of 16.39%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.54 EPS. Aramark has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.180-2.28 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Aramark will post 1.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aramark Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This is a positive change from Aramark’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Aramark’s payout ratio is presently 39.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on ARMK shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Aramark in a report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Aramark from $46.50 to $49.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $44.00 target price on Aramark in a report on Monday, November 17th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Aramark in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Aramark from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Aramark presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.83.

Aramark Profile

Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) is a global provider of food services, facilities management and uniform solutions, serving clients across a wide array of industries including education, healthcare, business and government. The company operates through three primary segments: Food and Support Services, Uniform and Career Apparel, and Facility Services, delivering integrated solutions designed to enhance guest experiences, improve operational efficiencies and maintain safe, clean environments. Aramark’s offerings include corporate dining, patient and senior nutrition, campus dining, sports and entertainment concessions, custodial services, technical maintenance and industrial laundry.

Founded in 1959 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Aramark has expanded its footprint to more than 20 countries, with a strong presence in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.