JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Stake in Aramark $ARMK

JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) by 102.3% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,320,269 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 667,528 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Aramark were worth $50,700,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Aramark during the 2nd quarter worth $135,218,000. Soros Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in Aramark during the second quarter valued at approximately $64,902,000. Ilex Capital Partners UK LLP bought a new position in Aramark during the second quarter worth $52,142,000. Sunriver Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Aramark in the 2nd quarter worth about $51,865,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Aramark by 6.1% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 18,673,028 shares of the company’s stock valued at $781,840,000 after acquiring an additional 1,067,132 shares during the period.

Aramark Trading Up 0.3%

Aramark stock opened at $41.10 on Thursday. Aramark has a 52 week low of $29.92 and a 52 week high of $44.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.80 billion, a PE ratio of 34.53, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.09. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $38.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.27.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.76 billion. Aramark had a net margin of 1.69% and a return on equity of 16.15%. Aramark’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 earnings per share. Aramark has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.180-2.280 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Aramark will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Aramark Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Aramark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on ARMK shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Aramark from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Aramark in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Aramark from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $50.00 target price on shares of Aramark in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Aramark from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $48.38.

Aramark Company 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.