Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Purchases 12,734 Shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 257,032 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 12,734 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned about 0.06% of Cintas worth $46,960,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CTAS. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cintas in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cintas in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Cintas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Cintas by 136.8% in the 4th quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 180 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Cintas during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 63.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Cintas

In other Cintas news, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 8,521 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Jim Rozakis sold 2,000 shares of Cintas stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.37, for a total value of $380,740.00. Following the sale, 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 owned by company insiders.

Cintas Price Performance

Shares of CTAS stock traded down $1.66 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $215.33. 1,394,727 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,703,559. Cintas Co. has a fifty-two week low of $164.93 and a fifty-two week 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 stock's fifty day moving average is $203.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $204.44. The company has a market cap of $86.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.09.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The business services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.08. The company 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.84 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Cintas's payout ratio is presently 36.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CTAS shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Cintas from $195.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Cintas from $200.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Cintas in a research note on Monday, February 24th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $161.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Cintas from $184.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note 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 research note on Thursday, May 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.