Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) Shares Bought by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 19.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 85,367 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,102 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Cintas were worth $15,597,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of CTAS. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Cintas in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Cintas in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in Cintas in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Cintas during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cintas during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Cintas Price Performance

CTAS stock opened at $192.84 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $200.02 and a 200-day moving average of $209.13. Cintas Co. has a 12-month low of $155.89 and a 12-month high of $228.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market cap of $77.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.50, a PEG ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.41.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.08. Cintas had a net margin of 17.23% and a return on equity of 40.62%. The business had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.56 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.61 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. Cintas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CTAS has been the topic of a number of research reports. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Cintas in a report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Cintas from $240.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $199.79.

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.