Lazard Asset Management LLC Takes Position in Aramark $ARMK

Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 30,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,234,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Aramark by 163.1% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,860,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $326,580,000 after buying an additional 5,492,046 shares during the period. Milford Funds Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Aramark in the 4th quarter valued at $181,204,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Aramark in the 4th quarter valued at $128,738,000. Cooke & Bieler LP acquired a new position in shares of Aramark during the 4th quarter valued at $118,110,000. Finally, Pinebridge Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aramark during the 4th quarter valued at $97,780,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on ARMK. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $51.00 price target on shares of Aramark in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Aramark from $49.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Aramark from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Aramark from $59.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Aramark from $47.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aramark has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.62.

Aramark Trading Down 0.8%

ARMK opened at $56.28 on Wednesday. Aramark has a fifty-two week low of $35.07 and a fifty-two week high of $58.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.80 billion, a PE ratio of 42.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company’s 50-day moving average is $55.50 and its 200 day moving average is $47.14.

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $4.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.75 billion. Aramark had a return on equity of 17.05% and a net margin of 1.84%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.35 EPS. Aramark has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.180-2.280 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Aramark will post 2.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Aramark

Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) is a global provider of food services, facilities management and uniform solutions, serving clients across a wide array of industries including education, healthcare, business and government. The company operates through three primary segments: Food and Support Services, Uniform and Career Apparel, and Facility Services, delivering integrated solutions designed to enhance guest experiences, improve operational efficiencies and maintain safe, clean environments. Aramark’s offerings include corporate dining, patient and senior nutrition, campus dining, sports and entertainment concessions, custodial services, technical maintenance and industrial laundry.

Founded in 1959 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Aramark has expanded its footprint to more than 20 countries, with a strong presence in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.