Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) Shares Acquired by Ameriprise Financial Inc.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 26.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,228,609 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 468,950 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned about 0.55% of Cintas worth $407,163,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Cintas by 28.4% during the 4th quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,563 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,199,000 after purchasing an additional 1,450 shares in the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cintas by 121.8% during the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 11,545 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,109,000 after buying an additional 6,341 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Cintas by 137.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,222,527 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $457,574,000 after acquiring an additional 1,286,668 shares during the period. Annex Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Cintas by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 127,441 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $23,283,000 after acquiring an additional 1,988 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI lifted its position in Cintas by 292.7% during the 4th quarter. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI now owns 5,482 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,002,000 after acquiring an additional 4,086 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.46% of the company's stock.

Cintas Price Performance

Cintas stock traded down $0.15 during trading on Thursday, reaching $214.96. The company had a trading volume of 1,541,982 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,698,901. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.58. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $202.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $204.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.80 billion, a PE ratio of 51.83, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 released 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. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.60 billion. Cintas had a net margin of 17.23% and a return on equity of 40.62%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.84 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Cintas

In other Cintas news, 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 value of $380,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 256,528 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,835,235.36. This trade represents a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 8,521 shares of Cintas stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now owns 27,029 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,647,979.84. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 15.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CTAS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on Cintas from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Cintas from $195.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Argus upgraded shares of Cintas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Cintas from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Cintas in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $213.88.

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.