Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) Shares Bought by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 19.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 85,367 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 14,102 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Cintas were worth $15,597,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings 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 worth $2,996,697,000 after purchasing an additional 10,910,285 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $1,807,860,000 after purchasing an additional 6,571,128 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $1,693,654,000 after purchasing an additional 6,235,052 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings 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 worth $693,503,000 after purchasing an additional 2,379,932 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $519,419,000 after purchasing an additional 1,904,926 shares during the last quarter. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cintas Stock Up 1.2 %

Cintas stock opened at $192.84 on Friday. Cintas Co. has a twelve month low of $155.89 and a twelve month high of $228.12. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $200.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $209.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.41.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.56 billion. Cintas had a net margin of 17.23% and a return on equity of 40.62%. The company’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.61 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. Cintas’s payout ratio is currently 37.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Cintas from $185.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Cintas in a research report on Monday, February 24th. They set a “sell” rating and a $161.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Cintas in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Cintas from $209.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $199.79.

About Cintas

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.