Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Purchases 8,807 Shares of Cintas Corporation $CTAS

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its position in Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 36.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 33,246 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,807 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR’s holdings in Cintas were worth $6,253,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cintas by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,268 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $232,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Cintas by 42.3% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new position in Cintas during the second quarter worth $625,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its holdings in Cintas by 20.3% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 212,192 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $47,291,000 after buying an additional 35,781 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC raised its holdings in Cintas by 50.2% during the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 92,924 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $20,710,000 after buying an additional 31,068 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Cintas Stock Down 1.8%

CTAS stock opened at $166.97 on Friday. Cintas Corporation has a twelve month low of $165.46 and a twelve month high of $229.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $66.80 billion, a PE ratio of 47.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.96. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $181.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $186.85.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 25th. The business services provider reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24. Cintas had a return on equity of 41.47% and a net margin of 17.57%.The company had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.13 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Cintas Corporation will post 4.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Cintas’s payout ratio is currently 50.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cintas news, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 4,666 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.87, for a total value of $834,607.42. Following the sale, the director owned 22,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,015,273.76. The trade was a 17.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 14.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Argus upgraded Cintas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Cintas in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Cintas from $181.00 to $160.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Robert W. Baird upgraded Cintas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Cintas from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $215.17.

Cintas Company Profile

Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ: CTAS) is a provider of business services and products focused on workplace appearance, safety and facility maintenance. The company is best known for its uniform rental and corporate apparel programs, which include rental, leasing and direct-purchase options, laundering and garment repair. Cintas markets its services to a wide range of end-users, including manufacturing, food service, healthcare, hospitality, retail and government customers.

Beyond uniforms, Cintas offers a suite of facility services and products designed to help organizations maintain clean, safe and compliant workplaces.