Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Purchases Shares of 1,610 Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,610 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $268,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Cintas by 299.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 14,555,558 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,996,697,000 after purchasing an additional 10,910,285 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cintas by 297.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,781,132 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,807,860,000 after purchasing an additional 6,571,128 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Cintas by 309.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,248,271 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,693,654,000 after buying an additional 6,235,052 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Cintas by 264.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,279,029 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $693,503,000 after buying an additional 2,379,932 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Cintas by 308.2% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,522,921 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $519,419,000 after buying an additional 1,904,926 shares in the last quarter. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CTAS. Robert W. Baird lowered 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Cintas from $185.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup began coverage on Cintas in a report on Monday. They issued a “sell” rating and a $161.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Cintas in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Cintas from $240.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cintas has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $199.79.

Cintas Price Performance

CTAS stock opened at $203.35 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $196.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $208.51. Cintas Co. has a 12-month low of $154.15 and a 12-month high of $228.12. The company has a market capitalization of $82.06 billion, a PE ratio of 49.03, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

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

Cintas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid 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 dividend yield of 0.77%. Cintas’s payout ratio is currently 37.59%.

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.