ARKO (NASDAQ:ARKO) Shares Gap Up After Insider Buying Activity

ARKO Corp. (NASDAQ:ARKO) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday following insider buying activity. The stock had previously closed at $4.99, but opened at $5.20. ARKO shares last traded at $5.2340, with a volume of 224,088 shares trading hands.

Specifically, CFO Charles Galagher Jeff bought 40,000 shares of ARKO stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $5.07 per share, for a total transaction of $202,800.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 40,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $202,800. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated 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, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $7.00.

ARKO News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting ARKO this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CFO insider buy — ARKO’s CFO, Charles Galagher Jeff, purchased 40,000 shares at ~$5.07 on March 17th, a ~$202.8k transaction that signals management confidence and often supports near‑term investor sentiment. Insider Trade Alert
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — ARKO declared a $0.03 quarterly dividend (annualized $0.12; ~2.4% yield) to be paid March 20. The payout can attract income‑oriented buyers and supports demand into the ex‑dividend/pay date. (Disclosure: ARKO’s payout ratio is high — see negative section). MarketBeat: ARKO Dividend and Stock Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings EPS beat but revenues slightly miss — ARKO reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter (above consensus of -$0.01) while revenue of $1.79B was a hair below expectations. EPS beat helps sentiment; the revenue miss tempers it. Quarterly Results Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst / media pieces — Recent Zacks pieces discuss ARKO’s valuation and a possible technical reversal after a recent pullback; these are informational and may encourage short‑term traders but don’t represent formal rating changes. Zacks: Value Stock Analysis Zacks: Technical Reversal Case
• Neutral Sentiment: Local market commentary (Ghana) — ARKO’s Ghana operations commented that removal of a GH₵1 levy won’t automatically lower pump prices, a reminder of local pricing dynamics that can affect margins in specific markets. MyJoyOnline: Ghana Pump Price Commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data appears to be reporting errors — multiple filings show “0 shares” / NaN for March short interest and a 0.0 days‑to‑cover figure, which likely reflects a data issue rather than true zero short interest; this reduces the reliability of any short‑squeeze narratives.
• Negative Sentiment: Balance‑sheet and payout concerns — ARKO carries a high debt‑to‑equity ratio (~4.0) and a reported payout ratio near 85.7%. Those metrics increase risk sensitivity to margin pressure or fuel volatilities and may limit multiple expansion despite positive headlines. MarketBeat: Financials & Ratios

ARKO Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.02, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $5.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $575.52 million, a P/E ratio of 37.07 and a beta of 0.83.

ARKO (NASDAQ:ARKO) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. ARKO had a net margin of 0.30% and a return on equity of 8.58%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that ARKO Corp. will post 0.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ARKO Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. ARKO’s dividend payout ratio is 85.71%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ARKO

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Phoenix Financial Ltd. boosted its stake in ARKO by 20.4% in the third quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 7,309,430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,404,000 after acquiring an additional 1,239,512 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of ARKO by 1,635.3% in 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 period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of ARKO in the 3rd quarter worth $2,444,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ARKO during the first quarter worth $1,335,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of ARKO by 18.5% during 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 period. Institutional investors own 78.29% of the company’s stock.

ARKO Company Profile

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.