Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have given a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $199.63.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Cintas from $184.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Cintas from $219.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Cintas from $212.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Baird R W cut shares of Cintas from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Cintas from $181.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CTAS. LGT Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Cintas by 311.1% in the 2nd quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 37 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its holdings in Cintas by 341.4% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 128 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its holdings in Cintas by 433.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 128 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Cintas during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cintas by 495.7% during the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 137 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Cintas Stock Performance

Shares of Cintas stock opened at $215.20 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.34, a PEG ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $221.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $194.94. Cintas has a 52 week low of $136.50 and a 52 week high of $227.35.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 25th. The business services provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.49 billion. Cintas had a net margin of 16.80% and a return on equity of 39.56%. Cintas’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.70 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Cintas will post 4.23 EPS for the current year.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Cintas’s payout ratio is currently 39.39%.

Cintas declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 23rd that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.