Empowered Funds LLC Grows Position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 29.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,634 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,606 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Cintas were worth $4,501,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of CTAS. Brookstone Capital Management increased its position in shares of Cintas by 209.7% during the third quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 1,081 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $223,000 after acquiring an additional 732 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of Cintas by 295.4% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 11,344 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,336,000 after purchasing an additional 8,475 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Cintas in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $537,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in Cintas by 17.8% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,613 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $332,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Cintas by 1,340.0% during the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 144 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Cintas Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CTAS opened at $205.40 on Wednesday. Cintas Co. has a 12 month low of $150.70 and a 12 month high of $228.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.89 billion, a PE ratio of 49.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 1.38. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $198.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $207.36.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.56 billion. Cintas had a return on equity of 40.62% and a net margin of 17.23%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.61 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. Cintas’s payout ratio is currently 37.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CTAS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Cintas in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Cintas from $191.00 to $184.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Cintas from $185.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Cintas from $209.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $198.46.

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.