Candriam S.C.A. Reduces Position in Cintas Corporation $CTAS

Candriam S.C.A. decreased its holdings in Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 39.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 179,586 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 118,621 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Cintas were worth $36,862,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CTAS. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Cintas during the second quarter worth $925,531,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cintas by 90.1% during the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,214,098 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $270,586,000 after acquiring an additional 575,372 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cintas by 264.9% during the 2nd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 776,042 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $172,956,000 after acquiring an additional 563,366 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Cintas by 1.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,384,133 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $8,554,672,000 after purchasing an additional 524,829 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Cintas by 11.2% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,911,366 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,094,596,000 after purchasing an additional 495,486 shares during the last quarter. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cintas Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of CTAS opened at $194.81 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.90 billion, a PE ratio of 56.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.95. Cintas Corporation has a 1 year low of $180.39 and a 1 year high of $229.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 1.71. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $189.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $196.89.

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

Cintas declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, October 28th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Cintas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CTAS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $206.00 price target on shares of Cintas in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Cintas from a “cautious” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $205.00 to $245.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $181.00 target price (up previously from $176.00) on shares of Cintas in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Argus upgraded shares of Cintas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Cintas in a report on Friday, December 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.08.

About Cintas

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.