ARKO (NASDAQ:ARKO) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

ARKO Corp. (NASDAQ:ARKO)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $7.07 and last traded at $6.9350, with a volume of 44769 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.87.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on ARKO shares. Zacks Research raised shares of ARKO from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of ARKO from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of ARKO from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $6.50.

ARKO Stock Down 1.2%

The company has a market cap of $761.21 million, a PE ratio of 35.64 and a beta of 0.94. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $5.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.02, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.66.

ARKO (NASDAQ:ARKO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. ARKO had a net margin of 0.38% and a return on equity of 10.72%. The company had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.12) EPS. On average, analysts predict that ARKO Corp. will post 0.26 earnings per share for the current year.

ARKO Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. ARKO’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Charles Galagher Jeff purchased 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $5.07 per share, for a total transaction of $202,800.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 40,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $202,800. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 22.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ARKO

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in ARKO by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 24,671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 1,685 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in ARKO by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 721,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,278,000 after buying an additional 1,992 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in ARKO by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 47,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $189,000 after buying an additional 2,028 shares during the last quarter. Significant Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in ARKO by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Significant Wealth Partners LLC now owns 21,719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 2,453 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in ARKO by 30.9% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,225 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 3,124 shares during the last quarter. 78.29% of the stock is currently owned by 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.