Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks reports.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on ARMK. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Aramark from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Aramark from $70.50 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings raised Aramark from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Aramark from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Aramark in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.14.

Aramark Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE ARMK opened at $55.40 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $57.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.84. The stock has a market cap of $14.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.12. Aramark has a 52-week low of $35.07 and a 52-week high of $62.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.28.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.94 billion. Aramark had a net margin of 1.93% and a return on equity of 17.68%. Aramark’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.40 earnings per share. Aramark has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.180-2.280 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Aramark will post 2.27 EPS for the current year.

Aramark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Aramark’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.57%.

Institutional Trading of Aramark

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Aramark during the second quarter worth about $1,411,586,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Aramark during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,041,407,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in Aramark by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 18,195,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $670,702,000 after purchasing an additional 128,199 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Aramark by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,177,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,962,000 after purchasing an additional 868,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Milford Funds Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Aramark in the fourth quarter worth approximately $181,204,000.

About Aramark

Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) is a provider of food services and facilities management. The company serves businesses, universities, schools, hospitals, sports and entertainment venues, correctional facilities, and other organizations through on-site dining, catering, concessions, refreshment services, and related hospitality offerings.

Its facilities services include custodial services, building operations and maintenance, workplace support, and other services designed to help clients manage their physical environments.