Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the seventeen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $199.63.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CTAS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Cintas from $212.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Baird R W lowered Cintas from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Barclays lifted their price objective on 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 lifted their target price on shares of Cintas from $181.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Cintas from $219.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its position in Cintas by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 1,651 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,156,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Cintas by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,905 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,034,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Field & Main Bank raised its holdings in Cintas by 25.0% in the 2nd quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 75 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Cintas by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 448 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, TIAA Trust National Association lifted its position in shares of Cintas by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 1,363 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $954,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cintas Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CTAS traded down $1.46 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $215.20. 1,792,986 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,450,435. Cintas has a twelve month low of $136.50 and a twelve month high of $227.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $221.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $195.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 1.32.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 25th. The business services provider reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.49 billion. Cintas had a net margin of 16.80% and a return on equity of 39.56%. The business's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.70 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Cintas will post 4.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cintas announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 23rd that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Cintas Announces Dividend

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

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.