Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) Short Interest Down 11.8% in December

Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,240,000 shares, a drop of 11.8% from the December 15th total of 5,940,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,730,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CTAS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Cintas from $240.00 to $218.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Cintas from $209.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Cintas from $185.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Cintas from $730.00 to $200.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Cintas from $191.00 to $184.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cintas currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $198.46.

Cintas Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CTAS traded up $0.26 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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $205.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $205.14. The stock has a market cap of $80.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 1.37. Cintas has a 52-week low of $146.63 and a 52-week high of $228.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 17.23% and a return on equity of 40.62%. The company had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.61 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Cintas will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. Cintas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.59%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cintas

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CTAS. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its holdings in Cintas by 433.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 128 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Cintas by 495.7% in the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 137 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Cintas by 1,340.0% during the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 144 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Cintas during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 63.46% of the company's stock.

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.

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