Blueshift Asset Management LLC Invests $668,000 in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 3,654 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $668,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CTAS. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Cintas by 28.4% during the fourth quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,563 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,199,000 after purchasing an additional 1,450 shares in the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Cintas by 121.8% during the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 11,545 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,109,000 after purchasing an additional 6,341 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Cintas by 211.7% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 778,884 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $160,357,000 after purchasing an additional 529,005 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Cintas by 137.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,222,527 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $457,574,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286,668 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Cintas by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 127,441 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $23,283,000 after purchasing an additional 1,988 shares in the last quarter. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CTAS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Cintas from $191.00 to $184.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Cintas in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Cintas from $209.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $199.79.

Cintas Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CTAS opened at $194.46 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $200.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $208.92. Cintas Co. has a 52-week low of $158.10 and a 52-week high of $228.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.47 billion, a PE ratio of 46.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.41.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last released 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. The firm had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.56 billion. Cintas had a return on equity of 40.62% and a net margin of 17.23%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.61 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 EPS for the current 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 $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Cintas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.59%.

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.