Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 21,267 Shares of Aramark $ARMK

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) by 3.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 586,473 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,267 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Aramark were worth $23,776,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ARMK. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Aramark by 163.1% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,860,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $326,580,000 after purchasing an additional 5,492,046 shares during the period. Milford Funds Ltd. bought a new stake in Aramark during the fourth quarter valued at about $181,204,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Aramark in the fourth quarter worth about $128,738,000. Cooke & Bieler LP bought a new position in shares of Aramark in the fourth quarter worth about $118,110,000. Finally, Pinebridge Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aramark during the 4th quarter valued at about $97,780,000.

Aramark Stock Performance

ARMK opened at $56.52 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.18, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a fifty day moving average of $54.31 and a 200 day moving average of $45.67. Aramark has a fifty-two week low of $35.07 and a fifty-two week high of $58.68.

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

Aramark Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th were given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 20th. Aramark’s payout ratio is currently 35.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ARMK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Aramark from $49.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Aramark from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Aramark from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Aramark from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Aramark from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Aramark presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.21.

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.