ARKO Corp. (NASDAQ:ARKO) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

ARKO Corp. (NASDAQ:ARKO) saw a large drop in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,899,103 shares, a drop of 17.8% from the December 31st total of 2,310,219 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 373,536 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.1 days. Currently, 2.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Currently, 2.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 373,536 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.1 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ARKO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of ARKO from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 16th. Zacks Research cut shares of ARKO from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of ARKO in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $7.13.

ARKO Stock Up 5.5%

ARKO opened at $5.60 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.93, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The company’s 50-day moving average is $4.88 and its 200 day moving average is $4.67. ARKO has a fifty-two week low of $3.51 and a fifty-two week high of $7.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $624.01 million, a P/E ratio of 50.91 and a beta of 0.86.

ARKO (NASDAQ:ARKO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by ($0.02). ARKO had a return on equity of 6.95% and a net margin of 0.24%.The firm had revenue of $2.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. Research analysts expect that ARKO will post 0.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ARKO

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of ARKO in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of ARKO by 193.1% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 12,317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 8,115 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of ARKO by 131.8% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 12,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 7,353 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of ARKO by 30.9% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 3,124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning raised its holdings in shares of ARKO by 37.9% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 15,156 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 4,163 shares during the period. 78.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.