ARKO (NASDAQ:ARKO) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Hold

ARKO (NASDAQ:ARKO) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of ARKO from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded ARKO from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $8.00.

ARKO Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ARKO opened at $7.65 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $858.25 million, a P/E ratio of 40.27 and a beta of 0.99. ARKO has a 1-year low of $3.71 and a 1-year high of $8.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $7.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $6.35.

ARKO (NASDAQ:ARKO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.07) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.16) by $0.09. ARKO had a net margin of 0.38% and a return on equity of 9.10%. The company had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.12) EPS. Equities analysts predict that ARKO will post 0.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Maury Bricks sold 10,000 shares of ARKO stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.50, for a total transaction of $85,000.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 162,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,384,148.50. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 22.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of ARKO

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in ARKO by 201.9% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 6,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 4,468 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of ARKO in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. MQS Management LLC bought a new stake in ARKO during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in ARKO by 193.1% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 12,317 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 8,115 shares during the period. Finally, Banco BTG Pactual S.A. acquired a new stake in ARKO during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Institutional investors own 78.29% of the company’s stock.

About ARKO

ARKO Corp (NASDAQ: ARKO) is a downstream energy and convenience retail company based in Matthews, North Carolina. The company’s core operations encompass fuel supply, distribution and retailing through a network of terminals, independent dealer locations and company-operated convenience stores. ARKO’s fuel offerings include branded and unbranded gasoline and diesel, as well as lubricants and other petroleum products marketed under various regional and private labels.

In its retail segment, ARKO operates a portfolio of convenience stores under the Kangaroo Express banner, serving on-site customers with fuel, grab-and-go food items, beverages and everyday household essentials.