Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 933,451 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 44,049 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Cintas were worth $170,541,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,741 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $318,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp purchased a new position in Cintas in the fourth quarter valued at about $581,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Cintas during the fourth quarter worth about $107,000. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cintas during the 4th quarter valued at about $668,000. Finally, Choreo LLC lifted its position in Cintas by 43.5% during the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 9,677 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,777,000 after acquiring an additional 2,934 shares in the last quarter. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cintas Stock Performance

CTAS stock opened at $202.06 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $199.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $206.94. Cintas Co. has a 12-month low of $150.70 and a 12-month high of $228.12. The firm has a market cap of $81.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.87 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 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 net margin of 17.23% and a return on equity of 40.62%. The company had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 EPS for the current year.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. Cintas’s payout ratio is currently 37.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on CTAS shares. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Cintas from $240.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Cintas from $209.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Cintas in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Cintas from $191.00 to $184.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $198.46.

Cintas 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.