Ulysses Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in Aramark (NYSE:ARMK)

Ulysses Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) by 68.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 144,500 shares of the company’s stock after selling 318,556 shares during the quarter. Aramark comprises approximately 0.9% of Ulysses Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Ulysses Management LLC owned about 0.05% of Aramark worth $5,391,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Aramark by 93.0% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 770 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 371 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 310 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Aramark by 75.2% in the 4th 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 raised its holdings in shares of Aramark by 167.2% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,424 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aramark in the 4th quarter worth about $72,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ARMK has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on Aramark from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Aramark in a research note on Monday, February 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Aramark from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $47.00 price objective on shares of Aramark in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.33.

Aramark Price Performance

NYSE ARMK opened at $39.75 on Tuesday. Aramark has a twelve month low of $29.92 and a twelve month 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. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.42 billion, a PE ratio of 31.30 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.93.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.35 billion. Aramark had a return on equity of 14.72% and a net margin of 1.94%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.30 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Aramark will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Aramark Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.105 per share. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. Aramark’s dividend payout ratio is 32.31%.

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.