Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Has $8.73 Million Stake in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System reduced its position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 47,800 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 2,200 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System's holdings in Cintas were worth $8,733,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in CTAS. Brookstone Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of Cintas by 209.7% during the 3rd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 1,081 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $223,000 after acquiring an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cintas by 295.4% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 11,344 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,336,000 after acquiring an additional 8,475 shares in the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Cintas during the 3rd quarter worth about $537,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its stake in Cintas by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,613 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $332,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.46% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on CTAS shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Cintas from $191.00 to $184.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Cintas from $185.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Cintas in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Cintas from $240.00 to $218.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $198.46.

Cintas Price Performance

Shares of CTAS traded down $1.77 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $204.22. The company had a trading volume of 1,062,557 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,480,585. Cintas Co. has a twelve month low of $152.77 and a twelve month 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's 50-day moving average is $197.04 and its 200-day moving average is $207.53. The company has a market capitalization of $82.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 1.38.

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 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 business had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.61 EPS. Cintas's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 EPS for the current year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. Cintas's dividend payout ratio is 37.61%.

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.