Broadleaf Partners LLC Increases Stock Position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Broadleaf Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 77.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,320 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 13,222 shares during the period. Broadleaf Partners LLC's holdings in Cintas were worth $5,539,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Cintas by 340.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,089,535 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $224,312,000 after acquiring an additional 841,952 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 168.1% during the 3rd quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 14,468 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,979,000 after buying an additional 9,072 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 299.8% during the 3rd quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 21,229 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $4,371,000 after buying an additional 15,919 shares during the period. Wealthquest Corp grew its stake in Cintas by 285.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wealthquest Corp now owns 14,848 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,027,000 after buying an additional 11,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Cintas by 299.7% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 2,294 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $472,000 after acquiring an additional 1,720 shares during the period. 63.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Cintas from $184.00 to $196.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Cintas in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Cintas from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Cintas from $200.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Cintas in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $213.62.

Cintas Trading Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ CTAS traded up $2.00 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $207.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 688,326 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,698,518. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $201.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $204.30. 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $162.16 and a 52 week high of $228.12. The stock has a market cap of $83.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.20.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The business services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.08. Cintas had a net margin of 17.23% and a return on equity of 40.62%. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.60 billion. Cintas's quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.84 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Cintas's payout ratio is 36.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cintas

In related news, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 8,521 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.96, for a total value of $1,780,548.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 27,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,647,979.84. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Jim Rozakis sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.37, for a total value of $380,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 256,528 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,835,235.36. The trade was a 0.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 15.00% of the company's stock.

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.