B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Sells 68,836 Shares of Cintas Corporation $CTAS

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG cut its stake in Cintas by 28.3% in Q4, selling 68,836 shares and retaining 174,333 shares valued at about $32.9 million.
• Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 4,666 shares on April 20 at an average price of $178.87 (≈$834,607), reducing his holding by 17.21%; insiders now own 14.90% of the company.
• Cintas reported quarterly EPS of $1.24 (in line) and revenue of $2.84B, up 8.9% YoY; analysts' consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $215.17, and the company pays a $0.45 quarterly dividend (≈1.0% yield).

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lessened its holdings in shares of Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 28.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 174,333 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 68,836 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Cintas were worth $32,902,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CTAS. Key Capital Management INC bought a new stake in shares of Cintas during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Cintas in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management lifted its position in Cintas by 1,092.9% in the 3rd quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 167 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Cintas in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Cintas by 90.0% in the 3rd quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 171 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 4,666 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.87, for a total transaction of $834,607.42. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,448 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,015,273.76. The trade was a 17.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 14.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America began coverage on Cintas in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised Cintas from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Cintas from $181.00 to $160.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Cintas from $222.00 to $190.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Argus upgraded Cintas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $215.17.

Cintas Price Performance

NASDAQ:CTAS opened at $174.66 on Thursday. Cintas Corporation has a 52-week low of $165.60 and a 52-week high of $229.24. The company has a market cap of $69.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 1.98. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $186.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $188.01.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 25th. The business services provider reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.24. The firm had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.82 billion. Cintas had a return on equity of 41.47% and a net margin of 17.57%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Cintas Corporation will post 4.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Cintas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.85%.

About Cintas

Cintas Corporation NASDAQ: CTAS is a provider of business services and products focused on workplace appearance, safety and facility maintenance. The company is best known for its uniform rental and corporate apparel programs, which include rental, leasing and direct-purchase options, laundering and garment repair. Cintas markets its services to a wide range of end-users, including manufacturing, food service, healthcare, hospitality, retail and government customers.

Beyond uniforms, Cintas offers a suite of facility services and products designed to help organizations maintain clean, safe and compliant workplaces.

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