Canadian Halal Investor.

NYSE Shariah screener · October 2026

Is Aramark (ARMK) Halal?

FAIL

Aramark · NYSE: ARMK · Consumer Discretionary

The short answer

Aramark fails the Shariah screen on the debt gate: it runs a permissible food-and-facilities-services business and interest income of about 0.12% of revenue is under the 5% ceiling, but $6,129.8M of interest-bearing debt is 42.9% of its ~$14.30 billion market cap - well over the 33% ceiling.

Gate 1 — Business activity: PASS

Gate 1 — business activity: PASS. Aramark, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a leading global provider of food and facilities services to education, healthcare, business & industry, and sports, leisure & corrections clients. Per its FY2025 Form 10-K (fiscal year ended October 3, 2025), it operates in two reportable segments — Food and Support Services United States and Food and Support Services International — with the United States as its largest market plus a 15-country footprint, and approximately 278,390 employees serving millions of customers. It holds a top-2 position in North America in food and facilities services. The company spun off its Uniform segment as an independent public company, Vestis Corporation, on September 30, 2023.

The company provides food service, catering and facilities management — a service business, not interest-based lending — and is not involved in tobacco, gambling or pork production. No haram core business line is disclosed; the business passes gate 1.

Gate 2 — Debt and cash: FAIL

Gate 2 — interest-bearing debt: FAIL (42.9%, ceiling 33%). Per Aramark's Q3 2026 condensed consolidated balance sheet (July 3, 2026), interest-bearing borrowings total $6,129,826 thousand (about $6,129.8 million): long-term borrowings of $6,094,909 thousand plus current maturities of long-term borrowings of $34,917 thousand. Finance lease obligations of roughly $84 million (per the contractual obligations table) would add slightly more. Operating lease liabilities are excluded — they are not interest-bearing debt.

$6,129.8 million of interest-bearing debt against a market capitalization of about $14.30 billion (Finnhub, October 2, 2026) is 42.9%, well over the 33% ceiling. Aramark fails the debt gate, and therefore fails the overall screen. Cash and cash equivalents of $499,425 thousand at July 3, 2026 represent about 3.5% of market cap.

Gate 3 — Non-compliant income: PASS

Gate 3 — non-compliant income: PASS (0.12%, ceiling 5%). Aramark's FY2025 Form 10-K separately discloses interest income in the notes: $22,451 thousand for the fiscal year ended October 3, 2025 (offset against interest expense of $364,376 thousand). Against FY2025 revenue from contracts with customers of $18,506,299 thousand, that is about 0.12%, under the 5% ceiling. The income gate passes — the screen fails on debt alone.

Key figures used

Frequently asked questions

What does Aramark do?

Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) is a global provider of food and facilities services. Per its FY2025 Form 10-K, it serves education, healthcare, business and industry, and sports, leisure and corrections clients - students, patients, employees, sports fans and guests - through two reportable segments: Food and Support Services United States and Food and Support Services International. Its largest market is the United States, supplemented by operations in 15 additional countries, with approximately 278,390 employees. It holds a top-2 position in North America in food and facilities services. The company spun off its Uniform segment as Vestis Corporation on September 30, 2023.

Is Aramark's business Shariah compliant?

Aramark provides food service, catering, facilities management, custodial and related services - a service business, not interest-based lending - and it is not involved in tobacco, gambling or pork production. No haram core business line is disclosed in its 10-K, so the business passes this screener's first gate.

How much interest-bearing debt does Aramark have?

No - this is the gate Aramark fails. Per its Q3 2026 condensed consolidated balance sheet (July 3, 2026), interest-bearing borrowings are long-term borrowings of $6,094,909 thousand plus current maturities of long-term borrowings of $34,917 thousand - $6,129,826 thousand in total, about $6,129.8 million (finance lease obligations of roughly $84 million would add slightly more). Operating lease liabilities are excluded as they are not interest-bearing debt. $6,129.8 million against a market capitalization of about $14.30 billion is 42.9%, well over the 33% ceiling - so Aramark fails the debt gate and the overall screen.

How much interest income does Aramark earn?

Aramark's FY2025 Form 10-K separately discloses interest income in a note breaking down interest: $22,451 thousand for the fiscal year ended October 3, 2025 (shown as an offset to interest expense of $364,376 thousand). Against FY2025 revenue from contracts with customers of $18,506,299 thousand, that is about 0.12% - under the 5% non-compliant income ceiling. The income gate passes; it is the debt gate that fails.

What do third-party Shariah screeners say about Aramark?

Both Zoya and Musaffa publish Aramark (ARMK) pages and currently flag the stock as not Shariah-compliant / not halal (Musaffa, AAOIFI methodology, as of October 2026; Zoya's page shows interest income of $22,451,000, which is 0.12% of revenue - the same figures used here). That matches this independent screener's FAIL result, which is driven by the debt gate. I could not verify a ShariaPortfolio rating page for ARMK from public sources. Third-party screeners apply different assumptions and update on different schedules, and their results can change when new financial statements are published - always check the latest screening before investing.

Sources

Screened 2026-10-02 from published company figures and market data. Figures change; this page is educational, not financial advice and not a religious ruling.

Screened with our two-gate Shariah screening methodology (business-activity gate, then AAOIFI-style financial ratios).