Thompson Investment Management Inc. Invests $512,000 in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Thompson Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,800 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $512,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Cintas by 28.4% during the fourth quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,563 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,199,000 after acquiring an additional 1,450 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Cintas by 211.7% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 778,884 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $160,357,000 after buying an additional 529,005 shares during the last quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 121.8% during the fourth quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 11,545 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,109,000 after purchasing an additional 6,341 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Cintas by 137.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,222,527 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $457,574,000 after buying an additional 1,286,668 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Cintas by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 127,441 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $23,283,000 after purchasing an additional 1,988 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.46% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CTAS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Cintas from $185.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Cintas from $236.00 to $211.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Cintas from $191.00 to $184.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report 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. Finally, 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $198.46.

Cintas Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of CTAS traded down $0.79 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $204.61. The stock had a trading volume of 1,308,937 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,747,587. The company has a market capitalization of $82.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 1.38. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $150.70 and a 12 month high of $228.12. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $198.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $207.47.

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

Cintas Announces Dividend

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