Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $221.0833.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Cintas from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Cintas from a “cautious” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $205.00 to $245.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Cintas from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $184.00 price objective on Cintas in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $181.00 target price (up from $176.00) on shares of Cintas in a research note on Monday, December 22nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cintas

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund grew its stake in Cintas by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 99,876 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $20,501,000 after purchasing an additional 2,628 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its position in Cintas by 197.4% in the 3rd quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 9,344 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,858,000 after purchasing an additional 6,202 shares in the last quarter. Scalar Gauge Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cintas by 210.0% in the 3rd quarter. Scalar Gauge Management LLC now owns 31,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,363,000 after buying an additional 21,000 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Cintas by 1.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,384,133 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,554,672,000 after buying an additional 524,829 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Generate Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Cintas during the third quarter worth approximately $7,431,000. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cintas Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CTAS opened at $195.87 on Monday. Cintas has a twelve month low of $180.39 and a twelve month high of $229.24. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $189.76 and its 200-day moving average is $197.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.10, a PEG ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.95.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The business services provider reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $2.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.77 billion. Cintas had a net margin of 17.58% and a return on equity of 41.07%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.09 earnings per share. Cintas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.810-4.880 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Cintas will post 4.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Cintas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.48%.

Cintas declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, October 28th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to buy up to 1.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Cintas Company Profile

Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ: CTAS) is a provider of business services and products focused on workplace appearance, safety and facility maintenance. The company is best known for its uniform rental and corporate apparel programs, which include rental, leasing and direct-purchase options, laundering and garment repair. Cintas markets its services to a wide range of end-users, including manufacturing, food service, healthcare, hospitality, retail and government customers.

Beyond uniforms, Cintas offers a suite of facility services and products designed to help organizations maintain clean, safe and compliant workplaces.