PDT Partners LLC Sells 17,398 Shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

PDT Partners LLC lessened its position in shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 81.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,002 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 17,398 shares during the period. PDT Partners LLC's holdings in Cintas were worth $731,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CTAS. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Cintas by 71.9% during the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 9,750 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,781,000 after purchasing an additional 4,078 shares in the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Cintas by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 17,811 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,254,000 after buying an additional 673 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,067,037 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $743,048,000 after buying an additional 472,069 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Cintas by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 551,592 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $100,776,000 after buying an additional 1,503 shares during the period. Finally, Prosperity Consulting Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Cintas by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 22,077 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,034,000 after acquiring an additional 694 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.46% of the company's stock.

Cintas Stock Up 1.0 %

CTAS traded up $2.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $211.55. 1,373,132 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,700,323. Cintas Co. has a 1 year low of $164.93 and a 1 year high of $228.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.42 billion, a PE ratio of 51.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $202.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $204.34.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 26th. The business services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.84 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 EPS for the current year.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. Cintas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on CTAS. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Cintas from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $171.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday. UBS Group raised their target price on Cintas from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Cintas from $200.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Cintas from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Cintas in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $213.88.

Insider Activity at Cintas

In related news, COO Jim Rozakis sold 2,000 shares of Cintas stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.37, for a total value of $380,740.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 256,528 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $48,835,235.36. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 8,521 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.96, for a total value of $1,780,548.16. Following the transaction, the director now directly 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 ownership of the stock. 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.