Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 14.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,025 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,794 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Cintas were worth $4,024,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Verition Fund Management LLC increased its position in Cintas by 164.1% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 13,920 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,866,000 after buying an additional 8,649 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Cintas by 31.9% during the third quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 3,248 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $669,000 after acquiring an additional 785 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Cintas by 417.6% in the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 9,611 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,979,000 after purchasing an additional 7,754 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Cintas by 270.3% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 71,265 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $14,662,000 after purchasing an additional 52,022 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Cintas by 297.6% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 70,307 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $14,474,000 after purchasing an additional 52,624 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Cintas Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CTAS opened at $208.67 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $201.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $204.64. Cintas Co. has a 1 year low of $162.16 and a 1 year high of $228.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.21 billion, a PE ratio of 50.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.41.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The business services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.60 billion. Cintas had a net margin of 17.23% and a return on equity of 40.62%. Cintas’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.84 earnings per share. As a group, equities research 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 dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. Cintas’s payout ratio is 36.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on CTAS shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Cintas in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Cintas from $184.00 to $196.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Cintas from $200.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Cintas from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Cintas in a research note on Monday, February 24th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $161.00 target price for the company. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cintas currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $210.58.

Cintas 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.