ARKO (NASDAQ:ARKO) Stock Price Up 6.2% – Should You Buy?

ARKO Corp. (NASDAQ:ARKO)’s stock price shot up 6.2% on Friday . The company traded as high as $6.50 and last traded at $6.5740. 213,807 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 54% from the average session volume of 461,756 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.19.

More ARKO News

Here are the key news stories impacting ARKO this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat consensus: ARKO reported $0.02 EPS vs. the -$0.01 consensus, a surprise to the upside that gave near‑term support to the stock. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared: the board approved a quarterly dividend of $0.03 per share (record Mar 10, pay Mar 20), which may attract income-focused investors and provide price support. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded promotional program could boost retail traffic and margins: ARKO increased its “Fueling America’s Future” savings to $2.50/gal in a year‑long expansion tied to the U.S. 250th celebration — a potential lift to same-store volumes and customer loyalty. GlobeNewswire
• Positive Sentiment: Capital unlocking via ARKO Petroleum IPO: management announced moves to monetize assets/capitalize the business, which could improve liquidity or reduce leverage if proceeds are used prudently. TipRanks
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary and transcripts available: the full earnings release, call transcript and multiple summaries provide detail for investors to re‑price forecasts — useful but not an immediate directional catalyst. Yahoo Finance Seeking Alpha
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data is unreliable/unusual in filings (zero reported with NaN changes); this does not currently indicate a clear short-squeeze dynamic. MarketBeat
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and net income pressures: Q4 revenue declined ~10% YoY to ~$1.79B and net income fell sharply (Quiver reports net income weakened and diluted EPS flat), highlighting topline softness despite margin improvements. QuiverQuant
• Negative Sentiment: Liquidity and institutional selling concerns: cash balances declined and total liabilities remain sizable; Quiver notes several large institutional reductions in recent quarters, which could weigh on sentiment if continued. QuiverQuant

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ARKO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of ARKO in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded ARKO from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, November 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $7.00.

ARKO Price Performance

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $5.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.90. The firm has a market cap of $723.74 million, a PE ratio of 46.40 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.93, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.18.

ARKO (NASDAQ:ARKO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. ARKO had a net margin of 0.30% and a return on equity of 8.60%. As a group, equities analysts expect that ARKO Corp. will post 0.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ARKO Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. ARKO’s payout ratio is currently 109.09%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ARKO

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ARKO. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in ARKO during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ARKO in the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings 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 worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 8,115 shares during the period. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. acquired a new position in shares of ARKO during the 4th quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of ARKO during the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.