Whipplewood Advisors LLC Takes Position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 316 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $58,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Cintas by 299.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 14,555,558 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,996,697,000 after purchasing an additional 10,910,285 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Cintas by 297.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,781,132 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,807,860,000 after purchasing an additional 6,571,128 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Cintas by 309.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,248,271 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,693,654,000 after purchasing an additional 6,235,052 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Cintas by 264.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,279,029 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $693,503,000 after purchasing an additional 2,379,932 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Cintas by 308.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,522,921 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $519,419,000 after purchasing an additional 1,904,926 shares in the last quarter. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cintas Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CTAS opened at $207.50 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $197.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $208.68. Cintas Co. has a 12-month low of $154.15 and a 12-month high of $228.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.56 billion. Cintas had a return on equity of 40.62% and a net margin of 17.23%. Cintas’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.61 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Cintas’s payout ratio is presently 37.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Cintas from $191.00 to $184.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Cintas in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Cintas from $225.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Cintas in a research note on Monday, February 24th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $161.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Cintas from $185.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cintas currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $199.79.

Cintas Company Profile

Cintas Corporation engages in the provision of corporate identity uniforms and related business services primarily in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. It operates through Uniform Rental and Facility Services, First Aid and Safety Services, and All Other segments. The company rents and services uniforms and other garments, including flame resistant clothing, mats, mops and shop towels, and other ancillary items; and provides restroom cleaning services and supplies, as well as sells uniforms.