Sciencast Management LP Invests $2.92 Million in Cintas Corporation $CTAS

Key Points

• Sciencast Management LP invested $2.92 million in Cintas Corporation by acquiring 14,196 shares during the first quarter, signifying institutional interest in the company.
• Cintas recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45, an increase from its previous $0.39, indicating a commitment to returning value to shareholders.
• Analysts have generally upgraded their ratings and increased price targets for Cintas, with the current consensus target price standing at $224.54.

Sciencast Management LP acquired a new position in Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 14,196 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,918,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Cintas in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in Cintas in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Cintas in the first quarter worth approximately $41,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new position in Cintas in the first quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Cintas by 646.4% in the first quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 209 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.46% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Todd M. Schneider sold 17,301 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.90, for a total value of $3,821,790.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 622,712 shares of the company's stock, valued at $137,557,080.80. This represents a 2.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Martin Mucci purchased 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $222.55 per share, with a total value of $267,060.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 2,621 shares in the company, valued at $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.

Cintas Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of CTAS stock opened at $204.50 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $82.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.01. Cintas Corporation has a one year low of $180.78 and a one year high of $229.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $217.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $212.97. 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 (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The business services provider reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.99 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Cintas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.710-4.85 EPS. Analysts predict that Cintas Corporation will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Cintas Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This is a boost from Cintas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cintas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on CTAS. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Cintas from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $196.00 to $221.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Cintas from $227.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Cintas from $233.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Cintas from $213.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Cintas from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. One investment 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $224.54.

Cintas 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.

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