Carderock Capital Management Inc. Reduces Stake in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Carderock Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 17.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 52,381 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 11,297 shares during the period. Cintas makes up about 2.4% of Carderock Capital Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Carderock Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Cintas were worth $9,570,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings 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 worth $160,357,000 after purchasing an additional 529,005 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Cintas by 137.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,222,527 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $457,574,000 after acquiring an additional 1,286,668 shares during the period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 121.8% in the 4th quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 11,545 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,109,000 after acquiring an additional 6,341 shares during the last quarter. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI increased its stake in shares of Cintas by 292.7% in the fourth quarter. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI now owns 5,482 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,002,000 after acquiring an additional 4,086 shares during the period. Finally, Atria Investments Inc raised its holdings in shares of Cintas by 291.7% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 22,321 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $4,595,000 after purchasing an additional 16,623 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.46% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CTAS has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Cintas from $209.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Cintas from $185.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Cintas from $240.00 to $218.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Cintas in a report on Friday, December 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $198.46.

Cintas Price Performance

CTAS stock traded up $0.26 during trading on Friday, hitting $198.31. The stock had a trading volume of 1,673,318 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,374,499. The company's 50-day moving average price is $205.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $204.93. Cintas Co. has a twelve month low of $146.63 and a twelve month high of $228.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.81, a PEG ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.38.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.08. Cintas had a return on equity of 40.62% and a net margin of 17.23%. The firm had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.61 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Cintas's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.61%.

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.