Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $2.33 Million Stock Position in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its position in shares of Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) by 44.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 62,445 shares of the company’s stock after selling 50,649 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Aramark were worth $2,330,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in Aramark by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 113,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,221,000 after acquiring an additional 2,003 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Aramark by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 492,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,364,000 after purchasing an additional 4,600 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Aramark in the fourth quarter valued at $650,000. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Aramark by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 17,067 shares of the company’s stock valued at $637,000 after buying an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Aramark during the 4th quarter worth about $83,000.

Aramark Price Performance

Shares of ARMK opened at $34.35 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $9.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.04 and a beta of 1.60. Aramark has a 1 year low of $29.82 and a 1 year high of $42.49. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $36.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.41 EPS. Aramark’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Aramark will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Aramark Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Aramark in a research note on Monday, February 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $48.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Aramark from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Aramark from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com lowered Aramark from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $47.00 price objective on shares of Aramark in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Aramark currently has a consensus 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.