Financial & Tax Architects LLC Takes Position in Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Financial & Tax Architects LLC purchased a new stake in Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 30,248 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,217,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Cintas by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,268 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its stake in Cintas by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 514,336 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $93,969,000 after acquiring an additional 3,504 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Cintas in the 4th quarter valued at $295,000. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Cintas by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 319,259 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $58,329,000 after purchasing an additional 48,907 shares during the period. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Cintas by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 1,443 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CTAS shares. Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of Cintas from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $171.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Argus upgraded Cintas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Cintas in a research note on Monday, July 14th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $239.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Cintas from $213.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $240.00 target price (up from $215.00) on shares of Cintas in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cintas currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $224.54.

Cintas Price Performance

Shares of Cintas stock traded up $0.68 during trading on Friday, reaching $223.56. 1,074,701 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,461,321. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.82 and a current ratio of 2.09. Cintas Corporation has a 1-year low of $180.78 and a 1-year high of $229.24. The company has a market cap of $90.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.69, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $221.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $209.42.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The business services provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.02. Cintas had a return on equity of 41.21% and a net margin of 17.53%. The company had revenue of $2.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.63 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.99 EPS. Cintas's revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Cintas Corporation will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Cintas

In other news, Director Martin Mucci bought 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $222.55 per share, with a total value of $267,060.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 2,621 shares in the company, valued at approximately $583,303.55. This trade represents a 84.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 15.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.