Gries Financial LLC Grows Position in Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS)

Gries Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Cintas Co. (NASDAQ:CTAS) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,588 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 307 shares during the quarter. Gries Financial LLC’s holdings in Cintas were worth $838,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,803 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $512,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 1,213 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 19.6% during the second quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC now owns 434 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 17,105 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,125,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Cintas by 52.8% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 220 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.46% of the company’s stock.

Cintas Price Performance

Shares of Cintas stock opened at $198.56 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $202.36 and a 200 day moving average of $206.39. Cintas Co. has a 12 month low of $149.70 and a 12 month high of $228.12. The firm has a market cap of $80.13 billion, a PE ratio of 47.87, a PEG ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 1.37. 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) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The business services provider reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.56 billion. Cintas had a return on equity of 40.62% and a net margin of 17.23%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.61 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Cintas Co. will post 4.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cintas Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. Cintas’s payout ratio is currently 37.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CTAS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Cintas from $191.00 to $184.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. 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. UBS Group reduced their price target on Cintas from $240.00 to $218.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Cintas from $185.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, 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 research report on Friday, December 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $198.46.

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.