ARKO (NASDAQ:ARKO) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

ARKO (NASDAQ:ARKO) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of ARKO from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of ARKO from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $8.00.

ARKO Price Performance

NASDAQ ARKO opened at $7.76 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $870.59 million, a PE ratio of 40.84 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $6.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.62. ARKO has a 12-month low of $3.71 and a 12-month high of $7.95.

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

Insider Activity at ARKO

In other news, CFO Charles Galagher Jeff purchased 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $5.07 per share, with a total value of $202,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 40,000 shares in the company, valued at $202,800. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 22.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ARKO

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in ARKO by 201.9% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 6,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 4,468 shares during the period. MQS Management LLC bought a new position in ARKO during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in ARKO during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in ARKO by 193.1% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 12,317 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 8,115 shares during the period. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC bought a new position in ARKO during the first quarter worth $69,000. 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.