Woodline Partners LP Takes Position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 20,587 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,761,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CTAS. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cintas in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new stake in Cintas in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Cintas by 136.8% in the fourth quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 180 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Cintas in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cintas by 239.3% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 190 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Argus raised shares of Cintas to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Cintas in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Cintas from $200.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Redburn Atlantic lowered Cintas from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $171.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on Cintas in a report on Monday, February 24th. They set a "sell" rating and a $161.00 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cintas currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $213.88.

Cintas Price Performance

Cintas stock traded down $0.80 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $225.08. 993,109 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,703,031. The stock has a market cap of $90.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.27, a PEG ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.09. The stock's fifty day moving average is $208.60 and its 200-day moving average is $205.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Cintas Co. has a 12 month low of $164.93 and a 12 month high of $228.41.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The business services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.08. Cintas had a net margin of 17.23% and a return on equity of 40.62%. The firm had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.60 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.84 earnings per share. Cintas's revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 EPS for the current year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Cintas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.11%.

Insider Activity

In other Cintas news, COO Jim Rozakis sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.37, for a total transaction of $380,740.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 256,528 shares in the company, valued at $48,835,235.36. This represents a 0.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 8,521 shares of Cintas stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.96, for a total value of $1,780,548.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 27,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,647,979.84. This trade represents a 23.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 15.00% of the company's stock.

About Cintas

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.