Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) Shares Bought by Dark Forest Capital Management LP

Dark Forest Capital Management LP grew its position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 70.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,292 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,359 shares during the quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP's holdings in Cintas were worth $601,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Cintas by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,741 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. MGB Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Cintas by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. MGB Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,248 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,328,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association lifted its position in Cintas by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 5,380 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $983,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cintas by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,171 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,803 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $512,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. 63.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cintas Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Cintas stock traded up $0.37 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $209.63. 518,521 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,694,047. Cintas Co. has a 52-week low of $162.16 and a 52-week high of $228.12. The company has a fifty day moving average of $201.68 and a 200-day moving average of $204.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Cintas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Cintas's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cintas

In other Cintas news, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 8,521 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.96, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Jim Rozakis sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.37, for a total transaction of $380,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 256,528 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,835,235.36. This represents a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 15.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on CTAS shares. Argus upgraded shares of Cintas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Cintas in a research report on Monday, February 24th. They set a "sell" rating and a $161.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Cintas from $184.00 to $196.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Cintas from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Cintas in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $213.62.

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.