Russell Investments Group Ltd. Purchases 44,857 Shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 11.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 437,402 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 44,857 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.11% of Cintas worth $80,111,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Aviva PLC increased its position in shares of Cintas by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 217,986 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,826,000 after purchasing an additional 27,021 shares during the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Cintas during the fourth quarter valued at about $22,566,000. Prudential PLC increased its holdings in Cintas by 135.1% during the fourth quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 16,952 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,097,000 after buying an additional 9,741 shares during the last quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. raised its position in Cintas by 41.1% in the fourth quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 10,231 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,869,000 after acquiring an additional 2,978 shares during the period. Finally, PAX Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Cintas by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. PAX Financial Group LLC now owns 4,164 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $761,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. 63.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cintas Stock Performance

Cintas stock opened at $190.33 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $201.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $204.55. 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $162.16 and a 1-year high of $228.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.81 billion, a PE ratio of 45.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.41.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 26th. The business services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.60 billion. Cintas had a return on equity of 40.62% and a net margin of 17.23%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.84 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Cintas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on CTAS. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Cintas from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Cintas in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Cintas from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Cintas from $184.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Cintas from $200.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $210.58.

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.