NorthRock Partners LLC Grows Holdings in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

NorthRock Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 46.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,282 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 2,612 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLC's holdings in Cintas were worth $1,513,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CTAS. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP purchased a new position in shares of Cintas during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,133,000. Morse Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Cintas by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 21,875 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $3,997,000 after purchasing an additional 646 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Cintas by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 306,445 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $55,989,000 after purchasing an additional 24,729 shares during the period. MJP Associates Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 2,412 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $441,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Cintas by 150.1% in the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 719,059 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $131,372,000 after purchasing an additional 431,570 shares during the period. 63.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cintas Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of CTAS stock traded up $2.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $220.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,430,885 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,707,584. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.18 billion, a PE ratio of 53.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.09. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $204.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $204.71. Cintas Co. has a 12-month low of $164.93 and a 12-month high of $228.12.

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

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Cintas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on CTAS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Cintas from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Cintas from $184.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Cintas from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of Cintas from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $171.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Cintas to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $213.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.