B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Buys Shares of 261,019 Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 261,019 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $53,739,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG owned about 0.06% of Cintas at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LGT Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cintas by 311.1% in the second quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 37 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Cintas by 341.4% in the third quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 128 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Hollencrest Capital Management boosted its holdings in Cintas by 433.3% during the third quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 128 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. purchased a new position in Cintas in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cintas by 495.7% during the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 137 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cintas Trading Up 0.8 %

NASDAQ:CTAS traded up $1.77 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $217.97. 1,231,473 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,450,172. Cintas Co. has a 52-week low of $136.50 and a 52-week high of $227.35. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $221.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $196.06. The firm has a market cap of $87.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.92, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 25th. The business services provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.10. Cintas had a return on equity of 39.56% and a net margin of 16.80%. The company had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.49 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.70 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Cintas Co. will post 4.23 EPS for the current year.

Cintas declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 23rd that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 1.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Cintas's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Cintas from $212.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Cintas from $219.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Cintas from $210.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Cintas from $181.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Cintas from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $199.63.

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.