Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) Shares Sold by Brown Advisory Inc.

Brown Advisory Inc. reduced its holdings in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 10.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,477,001 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 165,182 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. owned about 0.37% of Cintas worth $269,848,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CTAS. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Cintas by 288.2% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 210,275 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $38,417,000 after buying an additional 156,113 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Cintas by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 93,071 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $17,004,000 after acquiring an additional 3,862 shares in the last quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP lifted its holdings in Cintas by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 2,458 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $449,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC purchased a new stake in Cintas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,964,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Cintas by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,228,609 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $407,163,000 after purchasing an additional 468,950 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.46% of the company's stock.

Cintas Price Performance

CTAS traded up $1.81 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $215.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,917,196 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,697,516. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $202.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $204.32. The company has a market cap of $86.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.87, a PEG ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.09. Cintas Co. has a 1 year low of $164.93 and a 1 year high of $228.12.

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

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. Cintas's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CTAS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Argus upgraded shares of Cintas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Cintas in a research note on Monday, February 24th. They set a "sell" rating and a $161.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Cintas from $200.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Cintas in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic lowered Cintas from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $171.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $213.88.

Insider Activity

In other Cintas news, COO Jim Rozakis sold 2,000 shares of Cintas stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.37, for a total value of $380,740.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 256,528 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,835,235.36. This trade represents a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 8,521 shares of Cintas stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.96, for a total value of $1,780,548.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 27,029 shares in the company, valued at $5,647,979.84. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 15.00% of the company's stock.

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.