Cintas Corporation $CTAS Shares Acquired by National Pension Service

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its Cintas stake by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 907,155 shares worth about $170.6 million.
• Cintas reported quarterly EPS of $1.24, matching analyst expectations, while revenue of $2.84 billion slightly beat estimates and rose 8.9% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, payable June 15, and its stock was down about 1% as analysts remained split with a consensus Hold rating.

National Pension Service increased its stake in Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 8.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 907,155 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 73,906 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.23% of Cintas worth $170,609,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CTAS. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in shares of Cintas by 5,641.3% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,016,671 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $208,682,000 after acquiring an additional 998,963 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Cintas by 2,653.0% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,003,031 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $188,640,000 after acquiring an additional 966,597 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Cintas by 275.2% in the third quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 1,123,237 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $230,556,000 after acquiring an additional 823,885 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP raised its stake in shares of Cintas by 5,341.8% in the third quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP now owns 747,109 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $153,352,000 after acquiring an additional 733,380 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Cintas by 2,286.3% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 736,620 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $138,536,000 after acquiring an additional 705,751 shares in the last quarter. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cintas Stock Down 1.0%

CTAS opened at $171.26 on Friday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $172.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $184.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 1.98. Cintas Corporation has a one year low of $161.16 and a one year high of $229.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.96.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 25th. The business services provider reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.24. Cintas had a return on equity of 41.47% and a net margin of 17.57%.The business had revenue of $2.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.13 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Cintas Corporation will post 4.89 EPS for the current year.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Cintas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 4,666 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.87, for a total transaction of $834,607.42. Following the transaction, the director owned 22,448 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,015,273.76. This trade represents a 17.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 14.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on CTAS shares. Weiss Ratings cut Cintas from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Robert W. Baird upgraded Cintas from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Cintas in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Cintas from $181.00 to $160.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Cintas in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $215.00 price objective on the stock. One research 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $215.17.

Cintas Profile

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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