Axiom Investors LLC DE Raises Stock Holdings in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Axiom Investors LLC DE boosted its position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 14.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 910,992 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 111,772 shares during the period. Cintas makes up approximately 1.2% of Axiom Investors LLC DE's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Axiom Investors LLC DE owned approximately 0.23% of Cintas worth $166,438,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Cintas by 28.4% in the 4th quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,563 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,199,000 after buying an additional 1,450 shares during the period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC increased 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 worth $2,109,000 after acquiring an additional 6,341 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 529,005 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 137.5% in 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 during the period. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Cintas by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 127,441 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $23,283,000 after purchasing an additional 1,988 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.46% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Cintas from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Cintas in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Cintas from $200.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Cintas in a research report on Monday, February 24th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $161.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Cintas from $195.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $210.58.

Cintas Stock Performance

CTAS stock traded down $3.61 during trading on Thursday, reaching $205.06. The company had a trading volume of 1,440,268 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,791,887. The company has a market cap of $82.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.41. Cintas Co. has a twelve month low of $162.16 and a twelve month 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 50-day simple moving average of $201.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $204.64.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The business services provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.08. Cintas had a return on equity of 40.62% and a net margin of 17.23%. The company had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.60 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.84 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Cintas's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.11%.

Cintas Profile

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.