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

Shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the sixteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $198.46.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Cintas from $209.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group decreased 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. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Cintas from $185.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Cintas in a research report on Friday, December 20th.

Cintas Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CTAS opened at $204.43 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $196.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $208.39. The stock has a market cap of $82.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.38. Cintas has a fifty-two week low of $154.15 and a fifty-two week high of $228.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.58 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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.08. Cintas had a return on equity of 40.62% and a net margin of 17.23%. The firm had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.61 EPS. Cintas’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Cintas will post 4.31 EPS for the current year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Cintas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.59%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Cintas by 28.4% in the 4th quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,563 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,199,000 after buying an additional 1,450 shares during the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Cintas by 121.8% in the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 11,545 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,109,000 after buying an additional 6,341 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Cintas by 211.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 778,884 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $160,357,000 after buying an additional 529,005 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Cintas by 137.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,222,527 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $457,574,000 after buying an additional 1,286,668 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Cintas by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 127,441 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,283,000 after buying an additional 1,988 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

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.