ARKO Corp. (NASDAQ:ARKO) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

ARKO Corp. (NASDAQ:ARKO) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,496,614 shares, a drop of 21.2% from the January 15th total of 1,899,103 shares. Approximately 1.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 451,954 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.3 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 451,954 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.3 days. Approximately 1.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on ARKO shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of ARKO from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of ARKO in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, ARKO currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $7.13.

ARKO Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ARKO opened at $6.33 on Tuesday. ARKO has a fifty-two week low of $3.51 and a fifty-two week high of $7.84. The company has a market cap of $705.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.55 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.93, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.62. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $5.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $4.81.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Phoenix Financial Ltd. raised its position in shares of ARKO by 20.4% during the third quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 7,309,430 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,404,000 after purchasing an additional 1,239,512 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in ARKO by 1,635.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 574,771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,627,000 after purchasing an additional 541,648 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in ARKO during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,444,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in ARKO during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,335,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of ARKO by 18.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,448,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,577,000 after purchasing an additional 226,591 shares during the last quarter. 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.