17,428 Shares in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) Purchased by Avantax Advisory Services Inc.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 17,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $650,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Aramark by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 17,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $637,000 after buying an additional 563 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in Aramark during the 4th quarter worth about $83,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Aramark by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 64,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,406,000 after acquiring an additional 9,772 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in Aramark by 30.0% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 174,906 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,445,000 after acquiring an additional 40,366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banco Santander S.A. grew its holdings in Aramark by 43.0% during the 4th quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 304,999 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,380,000 after acquiring an additional 91,718 shares in the last quarter.

Aramark Stock Performance

Shares of Aramark stock opened at $34.45 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.13 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $37.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.04. Aramark has a 52 week low of $29.82 and a 52 week high of $42.49.

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

Aramark Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This is a positive change from Aramark’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. Aramark’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Aramark from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Robert W. Baird increased 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. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $47.00 target price on shares of Aramark in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Aramark in a report on Monday, February 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $48.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.42.

Aramark Profile

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.