Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Decreases Stock Holdings in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lowered its stake in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 18.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 365,988 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 82,085 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado owned 0.09% of Cintas worth $66,866,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Cintas by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,741 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $318,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. MGB Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. MGB Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,248 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,328,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association boosted its position in shares of Cintas by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 5,380 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $983,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Cintas by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,171 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $214,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Cintas by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 728 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $146,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.46% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on CTAS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Cintas from $211.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Cintas from $200.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Cintas from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Cintas in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Cintas in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Cintas has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $213.62.

Cintas Trading Down 0.6 %

Cintas stock opened at $208.40 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $84.15 billion, a PE ratio of 50.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 1.20. Cintas Co. has a 12 month low of $162.16 and a 12 month high of $228.12. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $201.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $204.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The business services provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.84 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.

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