SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 488,262 Shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

SG Americas Securities LLC lessened its position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) by 97.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,971 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 488,262 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Cintas were worth $2,370,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Cintas by 299.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 14,555,558 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,996,697,000 after acquiring an additional 10,910,285 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in Cintas by 297.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,781,132 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,807,860,000 after purchasing an additional 6,571,128 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Cintas by 309.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,248,271 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,693,654,000 after purchasing an additional 6,235,052 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Cintas by 264.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,279,029 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $693,503,000 after purchasing an additional 2,379,932 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 308.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,522,921 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $519,419,000 after buying an additional 1,904,926 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.46% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on CTAS. UBS Group lowered their target price 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. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Cintas from $209.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley upped 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Cintas 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $198.46.

Cintas Stock Performance

Shares of CTAS stock traded up $5.17 on Monday, hitting $202.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,635,319 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,985,944. Cintas Co. has a fifty-two week low of $148.87 and a fifty-two week high of $228.12. The company has a market capitalization of $81.74 billion, a PE ratio of 48.84, a PEG ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 1.37. The stock's 50 day moving average is $202.99 and its 200-day moving average is $206.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.58.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 17.23% and a return on equity of 40.62%. The firm had revenue of $2.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.56 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.61 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.77%. Cintas's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.61%.

Cintas Company 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.