Cintas Corporation $CTAS Shares Sold by American Century Companies Inc.

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. has reduced its stake in Cintas Corporation by 4.1%, now holding approximately 0.24% of the company valued at $202.7 million after selling 41,873 shares in the first quarter.
• Several analysts have upgraded their ratings for Cintas, with target price increases from $196 to $221 by Wells Fargo and from $240 to $255 by UBS Group, indicating positive sentiment towards the stock.
• Cintas recently announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.39 to $0.45, reflecting a commitment to returning capital to shareholders, with a dividend yield of 0.8%.

American Century Companies Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 4.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 986,307 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 41,873 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.24% of Cintas worth $202,716,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Cintas by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,256 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $258,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Cintas by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 2,412 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $441,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cintas by 4.1% in the first quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 1,293 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Cintas by 4.1% in the first quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 1,291 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $265,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Cintas by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 728 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $146,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.46% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cintas news, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 5,084 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.47, for a total transaction of $1,136,121.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,945 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,904,049.15. This represents a 18.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Martin Mucci bought 1,200 shares of Cintas stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $222.55 per share, with a total value of $267,060.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 2,621 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $583,303.55. The trade was a 84.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 15.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Cintas from $233.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Cintas from $227.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Cintas in a research note on Monday, July 14th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $239.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $240.00 target price (up previously from $215.00) on shares of Cintas in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Cintas from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $196.00 to $221.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $224.54.

Cintas Price Performance

CTAS stock traded up $0.7650 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $217.1950. 716,257 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,678,719. The company has a market cap of $87.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 1.03. The stock's 50 day moving average is $220.53 and its 200 day moving average is $212.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.82. Cintas Corporation has a 12-month low of $180.78 and a 12-month high of $229.24.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The business services provider reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. Cintas had a return on equity of 41.21% and a net margin of 17.53%.Cintas's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.99 earnings per share. Cintas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.710-4.85 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Cintas Corporation will post 4.31 EPS for the current year.

Cintas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This is an increase from Cintas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Cintas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.82%.

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.