Clearbridge Investments LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Cintas Corporation $CTAS

Clearbridge Investments LLC lowered its holdings in Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,005,754 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 55,694 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned about 0.25% of Cintas worth $189,152,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. One Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Cintas by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. One Capital Management LLC now owns 6,160 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,159,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Cintas by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 5,058 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $951,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Cintas by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC now owns 1,288 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in Cintas by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 4,381 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $824,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in Cintas by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 2,287 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $510,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Cintas

In related news, Director Ronald W. Tysoe sold 4,666 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.87, for a total transaction of $834,607.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 22,448 shares in the company, valued at $4,015,273.76. The trade was a 17.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 14.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Cintas Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CTAS opened at $179.85 on Monday. Cintas Corporation has a 12-month low of $161.16 and a 12-month high of $229.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.74. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $172.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $184.49.

Cintas (NASDAQ:CTAS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 25th. The business services provider reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24. Cintas had a return on equity of 41.47% and a net margin of 17.57%.The business had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.13 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Cintas Corporation will post 4.89 EPS for the current year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Cintas’s payout ratio is currently 50.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CTAS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on Cintas from $181.00 to $160.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Cintas in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Cintas from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Cintas from $222.00 to $190.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Cintas in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $215.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $215.17.

About Cintas

Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ: CTAS) is a provider of business services and products focused on workplace appearance, safety and facility maintenance. The company is best known for its uniform rental and corporate apparel programs, which include rental, leasing and direct-purchase options, laundering and garment repair. Cintas markets its services to a wide range of end-users, including manufacturing, food service, healthcare, hospitality, retail and government customers.

Beyond uniforms, Cintas offers a suite of facility services and products designed to help organizations maintain clean, safe and compliant workplaces.