Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Has $13.60 Million Stock Position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its holdings in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 19.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 74,448 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,100 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Cintas were worth $13,602,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Cintas by 299.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 14,555,558 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,996,697,000 after buying an additional 10,910,285 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 297.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,781,132 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,807,860,000 after acquiring an additional 6,571,128 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 309.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,248,271 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,693,654,000 after acquiring an additional 6,235,052 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Cintas by 264.7% in 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 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 valued at $519,419,000 after purchasing an additional 1,904,926 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Cintas Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ CTAS opened at $204.43 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $196.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $208.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.58. Cintas Co. has a 52-week low of $154.15 and a 52-week high of $228.12. The company has a market capitalization of $82.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.38.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.08. Cintas had a net margin of 17.23% and a return on equity of 40.62%. The business had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.56 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.61 earnings per share. Cintas’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. Cintas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CTAS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Cintas from $191.00 to $184.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Cintas from $185.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Cintas from $240.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Cintas in a report on Friday, December 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cintas has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $198.46.

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.