Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) Shares Purchased by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 14.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 128,275 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 16,357 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in Cintas were worth $23,436,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Centiva Capital LP raised its stake in Cintas by 79.6% in the fourth quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 11,701 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,138,000 after purchasing an additional 5,187 shares in the last quarter. Blue Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Cintas in the fourth quarter worth $229,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Cintas by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 33,509 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $6,122,000 after purchasing an additional 7,236 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Cintas during the 4th quarter valued at about $128,000. Finally, Caxton Associates LP raised its position in Cintas by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Caxton Associates LP now owns 5,105 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $933,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. 63.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cintas Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CTAS traded up $2.25 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $216.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,913,273 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,702,312. 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's 50 day moving average is $202.92 and its 200-day moving average is $204.37. Cintas Co. has a fifty-two week low of $164.93 and a fifty-two week high of $228.12. The firm has a market cap of $87.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Cintas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Cintas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 8,521 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 14th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,647,979.84. The trade was a 23.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Jim Rozakis sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.37, for a total transaction of $380,740.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 256,528 shares in the company, valued at $48,835,235.36. The trade was a 0.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 15.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on CTAS shares. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of Cintas from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $171.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Argus upgraded Cintas to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Cintas from $200.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Cintas in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Cintas from $184.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $213.88.

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.