Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $528.07.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CTAS. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Cintas from $512.00 to $521.00 in a research report on Friday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Cintas from $510.00 to $540.00 in a report on Friday, July 14th. UBS Group raised their price target on Cintas from $550.00 to $575.00 in a report on Friday, July 14th. Citigroup lowered shares of Cintas from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $540.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Cintas from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 14th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gerald S. Adolph sold 2,686 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.25, for a total value of $1,332,927.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 30,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,920,252.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Gerald S. Adolph sold 2,686 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.25, for a total transaction of $1,332,927.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 30,066 shares in the company, valued at $14,920,252.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michael Lawrence Thompson sold 5,050 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.35, for a total value of $2,516,667.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 27,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,617,912.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,820 shares of company stock worth $4,926,731 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 15.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cintas

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fiduciary Alliance LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cintas in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 321.4% during the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 59 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Cintas by 221.1% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 61 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Arlington Partners LLC raised its stake in Cintas by 1,700.0% during the 2nd quarter. Arlington Partners LLC now owns 72 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Cintas in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 62.26% of the company’s stock.

Cintas Stock Performance

Cintas stock opened at $515.08 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.39. Cintas has a one year low of $370.93 and a one year high of $524.76. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $499.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $476.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.75 billion, a PE ratio of 39.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.31.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 13th. The business services provider reported $3.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.19 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.25 billion. Cintas had a net margin of 15.29% and a return on equity of 38.09%. The business’s revenue was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.81 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Cintas will post 14.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 15th were given a $1.35 dividend. This is a boost from Cintas’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 14th. Cintas’s payout ratio is currently 41.60%.

About Cintas

Cintas Corporation provides 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.