Schroder Investment Management Group Trims Stake in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK)

Schroder Investment Management Group cut its position in shares of Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) by 33.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,429,883 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,241,659 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Aramark were worth $90,513,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of Aramark by 45.7% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 988 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 310 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Aramark by 75.2% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Aramark by 167.2% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aramark during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $83,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Aramark by 1,322.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $115,000 after purchasing an additional 2,763 shares in the last quarter.

Aramark Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:ARMK opened at $34.16 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $36.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $37.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.90 and a beta of 1.60. Aramark has a 52-week low of $29.82 and a 52-week high of $42.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.03. Aramark had a net margin of 1.94% and a return on equity of 14.72%. The company had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.41 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Aramark will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Aramark Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 24th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.105 dividend. This is a boost from Aramark’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Aramark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ARMK. Citigroup assumed coverage on Aramark in a research report on Monday, February 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $47.00 price target on shares of Aramark in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Aramark from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Aramark from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Aramark from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.42.

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.