ARKO (NASDAQ:ARKO) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

ARKO Corp. (NASDAQ:ARKO) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $7.74 and last traded at $7.66, with a volume of 40772 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.63.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on ARKO shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded ARKO from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research upgraded ARKO from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of ARKO from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, ARKO presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $8.00.

ARKO Trading Down 2.4%

The firm has a market capitalization of $835.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.21 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $6.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.54.

ARKO (NASDAQ:ARKO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.07) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.16) by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. ARKO had a return on equity of 9.10% and a net margin of 0.38%.During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.12) EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that ARKO Corp. will post 0.29 EPS for the current year.

ARKO Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a $0.03 dividend. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. ARKO’s payout ratio is presently 63.16%.

Insider Activity

In other ARKO news, CFO Charles Galagher Jeff acquired 40,000 shares of ARKO stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $5.07 per share, with a total value of $202,800.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 40,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $202,800. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 22.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ARKO

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in ARKO by 201.9% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 6,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 4,468 shares during the last quarter. MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in ARKO in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in ARKO in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in ARKO by 193.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 12,317 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 8,115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new stake in ARKO in the 1st quarter worth approximately $69,000. 78.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About ARKO

ARKO Corp (NASDAQ: ARKO) is a downstream energy and convenience retail company based in Matthews, North Carolina. The company’s core operations encompass fuel supply, distribution and retailing through a network of terminals, independent dealer locations and company-operated convenience stores. ARKO’s fuel offerings include branded and unbranded gasoline and diesel, as well as lubricants and other petroleum products marketed under various regional and private labels.

In its retail segment, ARKO operates a portfolio of convenience stores under the Kangaroo Express banner, serving on-site customers with fuel, grab-and-go food items, beverages and everyday household essentials.