Empowered Funds LLC Buys 5,606 Shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 29.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,634 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 5,606 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Cintas were worth $4,501,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CTAS. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in Cintas by 56.4% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 10,814 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,976,000 after acquiring an additional 3,898 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 34,828 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $6,363,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares in the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC increased its holdings in Cintas by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 271,357 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $49,577,000 after buying an additional 12,880 shares in the last quarter. NatWest Group plc raised its position in Cintas by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. NatWest Group plc now owns 62,466 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $11,413,000 after buying an additional 10,274 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Appleton Partners Inc. MA lifted its stake in Cintas by 68.4% during the 4th quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA now owns 13,263 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,423,000 after acquiring an additional 5,387 shares during the period. 63.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Cintas from $191.00 to $184.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Cintas from $240.00 to $218.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Cintas in a research 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 research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cintas currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $198.46.

Cintas Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CTAS traded down $1.77 during trading on Friday, hitting $204.22. 1,062,557 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,480,585. Cintas Co. has a 52-week low of $152.77 and a 52-week high of $228.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The company has a market cap of $82.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.24, a PEG ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 1.38. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $197.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $207.53.

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

Cintas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. 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.