Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) Stock Holdings Raised by Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC lifted its holdings in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 17.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 105,032 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 15,925 shares during the quarter. Cintas makes up 1.3% of Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings in Cintas were worth $19,189,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Cintas by 299.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 14,555,558 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,996,697,000 after purchasing an additional 10,910,285 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in Cintas by 297.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,781,132 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,807,860,000 after acquiring an additional 6,571,128 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Cintas by 309.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,248,271 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,693,654,000 after acquiring an additional 6,235,052 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cintas by 264.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,279,029 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $693,503,000 after purchasing an additional 2,379,932 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Cintas by 308.2% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,522,921 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $519,419,000 after purchasing an additional 1,904,926 shares during the last quarter. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cintas Trading Down 0.8 %

NASDAQ CTAS traded down $1.55 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $191.10. 539,333 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,296,525. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $207.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $204.21. The firm has a market cap of $77.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.26, a PEG ratio of 4.15 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Cintas Co. has a 1-year low of $145.91 and a 1-year high of $228.12.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.08. Cintas had a net margin of 16.80% and a return on equity of 39.56%. The firm had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.56 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.61 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Cintas Co. will post 4.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Cintas’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on CTAS. Morgan Stanley raised 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. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Barclays lifted their price target on Cintas from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Cintas from $209.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Cintas in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Cintas has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $198.46.

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.